Winxspray
by Totally Lori
Summary: AU Follow the original characters of the Winx Club show as they go through all the drama and humor of high school, along with putting on a musical - especially one like Hairspray. Slow(ish)-building relationships (and some friendships); traditional, canon couples. A/N is included in the first chapter for more details. Chapter 12 is up!
1. And The Roles Are Cast

_**Disclaimer: We do not own jack-diddily-squat. We don't own Winx Club **_**[though, I, Erica, really wish I could own Sky] **_(and I, Sarah {CrankyEmily}, really wish I could own Turnip Head).__** Nor do we own **__**Hairspray**__**, the 2007 version with Zac Efron. We do, however, own some of the names of the kids for the Council Members and pretty much stole names of kids and teachers we know from school.**_

**Alrighty, let's get down to business. Sarah and I wanted to discuss with you about our story and talk about how we are co-writing it. It's not exactly "co-writing" in the way that she writes in specific POVs and I write in specific POVs; it's more-so we share ideas, and I either write down my thoughts or she tells me what to write down. **_And I'm here because she tends to mess up and put stuff like, "to what to write down," so I tell her to fix it. ^.^ _**Yes, but they don't need to know that. ANYWAY, obviously this is not a crossover. Rather, the Winx Club characters (plus OCs) are in either their Sophomore or Junior years of High School and have been conned into (or just plain ol' wanted to) joining the musical, which happens to be **_**HAIRSPRAY~! **_**That movie is my most recent obsession, and we're gonna have a ton of fun with this story. ^_~**

**As a side note, it's really important for you guys to understand that the way we chose the characters for the musical is a lot different than most people would've thought. Like, we didn't make Musa be Tracy Turnblad. And we didn't base it off of hair colors, either. We did it... I'unno, I guess the best way we could for relations of who they would be most like. And of course, we gave the girls their opposite guys as couples in the musical. **_And just because they're higher in the musical doesn't mean they're higher in our story. Our main people will always be Musa and Riven... :) _**and Bloom and Sky. :D**

**Oh~ we also did some... different stuff. I love torturing people, 'specially my favorite characters. **_And I love torturing "pretty boys." __**Like Skyler. Or Sky, as he's called in the show. **_**We changed his full name to Skyler because of an inside joke. And we gave him and his family the last name Johnson. Just a heads-up.**

**And if you haven't read any of my old stories, you'll be in for a surprise on two of the characters. If you have read them, there will still be a surprise on two different characters. We have fun making people related. :D**

**We don't think anyone has done such a thing yet, but we haven't read every story on here so... **_if it's been done, well, it's being done again._

**At this exact moment, the second chapter has been started, but it's not very far along. So it's bound to be a bit before it's out. I'll try to have it by next Wednesday, though. But let me tell ya, I'm a crazy Sky fan-girl~ **

**Alrighty, without further ado, let the story ensue~**

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Winxspray

Chapter i: And The Roles Are Cast

_'Six minutes left... Just __six__ minutes...' _were the thoughts of a very jittery and energetic blonde by the name of Stella Laris. She tapped her foot impatiently, amber eyes staring at the clock.

"It's not going anywhere, Stell," the girl seated behind the blonde teased, causing Stella to turn around and scowl at her red-haired friend.

"This is killing me. How's it not killing you?" the blonde teen sighed exasperatedly. The redhead grinned, turquoise eyes gleaming in amusement as the blonde gasped. "You know already, don't you? Bloom, tell me! Now!"

At this the redhead burst into laughter, her shoulders shaking as she tried to keep quiet. "Stell," Bloom sighed patiently, "I know as much as you do. I'm just not worried about who I get."

"Oh, you two are talking about that again?" came a slightly exasperated but soft and sweet voice. The two friends grinned up at the brunette girl. Her green eyes betrayed her feelings of amusement and excitement, however, which caused Bloom and Stella to quirk a brow at their friend, who blushed modestly.

"Don't worry, Flora; we won't blame you for being hypocritical," the blonde sighed melodramatically, patting her brown-haired friend on the arm. This caused Bloom and Flora to burst out laughing.

"Miss Peters! Miss Drake! I told you to keep it down!" hissed the brown-haired woman standing at the front of the room as she adjusted her small glasses.

"Sorry, Ms. Griselda," Bloom apologized with a giggle.

"Miss Peters..." The warning was there, but there was too much amusement to make the girls fret over it.

Stella suddenly gasped, and Bloom and Flora shook their heads with little smiles. A moment later they were being dragged from the room and down the hall by their wrists as the bell rang. Though they found Stella's antics ridiculous, Bloom and Flora couldn't help but laugh as they tried to keep from tripping over each other and kept up with Stella at the same time. The trio weaved through the rush of students, who were ready to leave the school and get home, with ease, used to doing such because of Stella.

Surprisingly (or maybe not-so-surprisingly) the girls were the first ones at the billboard posted outside of the drama teacher's room, upon which the black-haired lean woman – Ms. Cooper – was putting up two sheets of paper. Stella released Bloom and Flora and rushed to the bulletin board to see who she had been cast as in the spring musical the school did every year. This year's musical had been _Hairspray_, and to be fair – not to mention help out the cast – almost everyone who had tried out had been cast, as well as teachers to be teachers and some parents to be parents.

Before Bloom and Flora had even entirely reached Stella (with a lot of people starting to arrive behind them) shad had gasped and exclaimed, "I'm 'Motormouth' Maybelle!" She then rounded on Bloom, her brows furrowing in contrast to the smile on her face. "Who's she?"

The redhead coughed to hide her laughter while Flora searched for her name. "She's Seaweed and Inez's mother, African-American, and blonde; she's cool and is one of my favorites," Bloom explained before looking at Flora, whose mouth was agape. "What is it, Flora?" she inquired, moving around the brunette to look for her friend's name. It took less than a second since Flora's name was first on the list, which meant...

"Oh, my God, you got the lead role! Tracy Turnblad! Wait, Bloom, you said she was-" Stella exclaimed.

"I know," Bloom cut in. "But there's not much Ms. Cooper can do. All the girls who wanted to be in it were of roughly the same build as us, so we'll be using a fat suit most likely."

"Bless it..." Flora sighed in relief. "Bloom, you're my best friend."

Both girls blinked at Flora, the redhead in confusion and the blonde in hurt. "Flora..." the blonde murmured quietly.

"Oh, no, not like that! I mean she's Penny," Flora corrected, blushing embarrassedly. "I didn't mean to make you guys think like that."

"Hold it. What?" Bloom asked incredulously, scanning the list once more and finding her name precisely where Flora had said: next to Penny Pingleton's name. "Alrighty then..." the girl sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Hey, my parents are your parents, Flo."

"That's good. Makes things less awkward," Flora nodded with a smile.

"And your Link is a Helia Banderas. Hey, Bloom, you think he's related to Antonio Banderas?" Stella inquired loudly.

"No, he's not," a male's voice answered. The three girls looked behind them to see a boy, with long blue-black hair and gray eyes, frowning slightly. His gaze shifted to Flora, however, and he nodded at her. "Looks like I'll be working mostly with you, Flora. Maybe Mrs. Parm will let us go over some of the script during class a little." He smiled at the girl, and she blushed with a nod before the boy walked off into the drama room.

Bloom and Stella exchanged looks, grinning as they looked at Flora. "You're dishing information later," Stella warned as Bloom nodded in agreement. "Can we go into the room now?"

"Not just yet. I wanna see a few more things," Bloom answered, her turquoise eyes searching the list again. "And Penny's mother is Mrs. Johnson... Why do I know that name?"

"Uh, it's a common name, Bloom," Stella stated, like it was a no-brainer. Bloom scowled, obviously showing she knew it wasn't just that.

"Corny is Brandon Snow. Well, that aught to be fun," Bloom grinned. Flora laughed while Stella quirked a brow. The redhead waved it off. "Oooo. Even better: our Amber is Diaspro Marquis."

"Of course. Popular girl gets good part if her spot on the list as number six is any indication," Stella sighed.

"Mh. She'll fit the part well. Amber and Link are a couple before Tracy steals the spotlight, and Link, which makes Amber not only whiney, but also more of a bitch than she already is," Bloom replied absently, though she was obviously amused.

"She _will_ fit the part," Stella agreed.

"You guys, do you have to talk bad about her? I know she's popular, but so are we, really, and..." Flora trailed off when Bloom let out a noise of disgust.

"I do _not _believe this," the redhead sighed as she moved aside to let others gather around the list. She turned and headed into the drama room, moving to the wall opposite the door before she let her head fall forward to thud against the wall.

Flora, who had followed her friend silently, along with Stella, spoke first. "What is it, sweetie?"

"The person playing Seaweed..." the girl answered, not moving a bit.

"And who is it?" Stella continued the questioning.

With a sigh, the redhead turned to look at them, perching herself on the arm of the couch to her right. "Freakin' Skyler Johnson."

"The bi-" Stella was cut off by someone saying her name.

"Yeah," Bloom answered simply while not only Stella, but the redhead herself and Flora, looked to see the source of the voice who had called the blonde's name.

The same voice spoke up again, this time with: "Who's that?"

Stella huffed her annoyance as Ms. Cooper appeared in the doorway with a brunette male, pointing in the groups' direction. "I know him. He's always hanging out with Marquis and Johnson," Bloom spoke, frowning as she tried to remember the boy's name. "I think that's Brandon Snow, actually."

"Yeah, that's him," Flora assured them both as the aforementioned male approached them.

"Well, hello there. Which of you beautiful ladies is Stella?" the brunette inquired, brown eyes sparkling as he gave a flirty smile.

"I am," Stella said, exponentially warmer than she'd sounded just moments before. This caused Bloom and Flora to have to stifle their sudden giggles, their bodies shaking with the effort.

"So, Miss Stella, you think you could help me and my friends out? Ms. Cooper said you were the one to see about this whole musical deal," the male continued, smooth-talking it up.

"Of course. Bloom's the expert on this musical, though. I'm sure only a few got around to watching it," Stella answered, smiling back at him.

"Great! I'll go and get 'em," Brandon nodded, turning on his heel and heading back into the hallway.

"Oh my God, someone call the fire department 'cause it is smokin' in here," Stella breathed, watching the male as he walked away. Bloom and Flora giggled, but it didn't last long as Bloom realized something.

"Stell, you do know that his friends are, uh, Johnson and Marquis, right?" Bloom sighed, frowning. "They're the last people I want to associate with at this moment. I mean, hell, how am I supposed to tell a girl her boyfriend is supposed to be my boyfriend in the musical? And that we kiss at least once? She'll cause freakin' chaos."

"Leave out the deal with the kissing, and it should be fine. I feel sorry for Helia. He has to kiss her twice, doesn't he?" Stella questioned, quizzing her memory of what she'd been told.

"Yes, Stell, but they're, like, pecks on the lips, and that's not the point. The point is that we have to associate with Blondie and Airhead," Bloom sighed.

"Bloom, really. You shouldn't talk about people like that. Sky is actually really nice," Flora murmured with a frown.

"Oh, come on! How wou-" Stella was cut off for about a third time that day.

"Which of you is supposed to help us?" a female's voice came, sounding slightly condescending. The trio turned to face the three other teens. One of them was Brandon, which left the two blondes to be Sky Johnson and Diaspro Marquis. Bloom's eyes were settled on the cream-blonde girl who had spoken while Stella and Flora both seemed to study the blonde male first.

"I guess that would be me. I assume you want to know who, exactly, your characters are?" Bloom answered, her tone as condescending as Diaspro's had been.

"Yes. And careful with your tone," Diaspro retorted.

"I'm not the one who has to ask for help. So you need to watch yourself. I looked at the list for the more important parts. You, Barbie, play Amber Von Tussle, who is originally the main star, or 'Miss Teenage Hairspray,' for _The Corny Collins Show._ She is Link Larkin's girlfriend but is pretty much tossed aside of all of those things when Tracy Turnblad comes into the picture. Link is Helia Banderas, and Tracy is Flora," Bloom explained, motioning toward her brunette friend.

"You, Brandon," she continued, "are Corny Collins. You're all for integration on your show, and you are the reason Tracy is allowed on the show. You pick her."

"Awesome," the brunette male stated, grinning.

"And you, Blondie," the redhead sighed, her turquoise eyes landing on the blonde male, "are Seaweed Stubbs." She paused as his gaze met hers, the blue of his eyes striking. For a second her mind went blank and her breath caught in her throat, but she swallowed and blinked to regain focus, and then continued talking. "He's African-American and befriends Tracy in detention. He's kind of flirty and has a little sister named Inez. His mother is Maybelle, who is Stella here," she briefly motioned to her blonde friend, "and near the middle of the movie or musical or whatever you wish to call it, he meets Tracy's best friend, Penny Pingleton. They're both, like, I don't know... I guess they have this weird instant physical attraction to each other, and they end up together by the end of it. Any questions?"

"Yes," the blonde male answered. "Who's playing Penny?"

"That'd be me," Bloom answered, and Sky nodded with a smile.

"And it says my mom is Prudy Pingleton... Is that-"

"She's Penny's mom. Big on religion and just weird over-all. You'll have to see the movie to understand what I'm talking about," Bloom cut in.

"Is my cousin in the musical?"

"Alright, you're starting to bug me. How the hell would we know that?" Stella burst in.

"You seem to know everything else," Diaspro retorted.

"Look, the only reason we know you three is because your faces are plastered up all around the school," Flora cut in, trying to dispel the tension.

"And because 93% of the student population wants to get in their pants," Bloom muttered disgustedly underneath her breath.

Choked-back laughs from Sky and Brandon and a glare from Diaspro let her know she had been heard, and she ducked her head to hide her grin.

"Oh, Bitch Barbie, look! Bitch Christie just walked in! Why don't you and annoying Ken run and join her?" Stella suggested with fake enthusiasm.

"Why don't you losers go f-"

"Diaspro," Brandon warned, cutting the girl off.

The cream blonde looked ready to kill, but when her boyfriend leaned down to whisper something against her ear, her eyes fluttered closed in a way that was far from being resigned. Stella blanched, Brandon rolled his eyes, and Bloom mimed throwing up while Flora grimaced. "Mind getting a room? Diaspro's expression are quite... expressive," Bloom spoke, earning three laughs, a grin, and a glare.

"Can't handle a bit of PDA?" Diaspro snapped.

"Try PDS in words," Bloom retorted.

"PDS?" Sky inquired, that blasted grin still on his face.

"Yes. Public display of sex," the redhead answered, like it was a no-brainer.

Brandon laughed as Sky's eyebrows rose, his blue eyes and grin betraying his amusement. "Red's got some spitfire in her dude," the brunette laughed out, nudging his blonde friend with his elbow.

Diaspro scoffed and rolled her eyes, seeming like she was already tired of it all, like it was something she'd heard daily. "It's a play on words. Anyone could've done it. This company bores me, Sky. Let's go," the cream blonde ordered, to which Brandon's face dropped and Sky nodded, something miniscule making his expression less animated.

Diaspro gave the female trio a look of disdain before she turned and walked off, expecting the boys to follow without question.

"See you ladies around," Brandon, always the smooth-talker, spoke first, a boyish smile changing his features as he nodded to them – it needed to be noted his brown eyes never left Stella – and walked off.

"Yeah, see you. Look forward to working with you... Bloom, isn't it?" the blonde asked, his blue eyes unsettling as they rested on the redhead.

"Uh, yeah, it's Bloom," the girl answered, slightly confused as to whether her name had been mentioned in the past five to ten minutes.

"Well, as I said, I look forward to working with you," Sky repeated, winking at the girl in discussion before he gave the other two a smile and a wave, then walked to the other side of the room where Diaspro was waiting on him.

"I think the smoke turned into a full-blown fire," Stella commented with a giggle. "Annoying Ken is into you, Bloom."

"Did Brandon tell him my name?" Bloom asked in response. "Because not once did we say my name with him in the vicinity."

Stella and Flora blinked before Stella's face lit up with a grin and Flora's eyes widened.

"Surely... not once?" Flora inquired softly, fueling Stella's excitement.

"She's right! And even then Brandon didn't know which one you were," Stella pointed out giddily.

"No... there's a reason... Maybe he deciphered it or something. If Brandon mentioned it, then he probably knew it was me the moment I spoke up," the redhead replied, thinking logically.

"Or you have a class with him and don't know it," Flora added, causing the redhead and the blonde both to look at her.

"With what I saw just now, I think one of them would have noticed," Stella teased.

"That was nothing," Bloom protested, her face flushing. "And... surely I'd have noticed. He's got 93% of the _female_ population after him."

"Unless you purposely ignored him," Flora addressed.

"Yes, but I would've told you guys, an-"

"Alright, everyone, settle down. It's time we start this meeting," Ms. Cooper cut the redhead off. "First, and most important, I want to introduce everyone to our leads: Flora Drake as Tracy Turnblad and Helia Banderas as Link Larkin!" She motioned for the two to come up there, which flustered Flora somewhat as she and the black-haired boy stood next to each other and everyone clapped.

"Now, a couple of our parents in the musical are actually parents. But since they aren't here, I'd like to call Bloom Peters, who is our Penny Pingleton, and Sky Johnson, who is our Seaweed Stubbs, up here.

"Mr. and Mrs. Peters are going to be Wilbur and Edna Turnblad while Mrs. Johnson is Prudy Pingleton's mother.

"Our main antagonist is Ms. Demilo as Velma Von Tussle, and our second antagonist is Diaspro Marquis as Amber Von Tussle." There was admittedly less enthusiasm in the applause, and it caused Bloom and Stella to bite down on their lower lips to keep quiet.

"The show host who helps his station become integrated is Brandon Snow, playing Corny Collins." The brunette boy grinned around at everyone, and the applause definitely got more agreeable.

"And last, but certainly not least, the hostess of _The Corny Collins Show_ on Negro Day, who is known as 'Motormouth' Maybelle, is Stella Laris!" The blonde girl kissed her palm and waved her arm in one big swooping motion as she walked to join the group in front of Ms. Cooper.

"Now, there isn't all that much to discuss right now, but in order for this to start off with a bang, we're going to have daily after-school rehearsals and some weekend rehearsals. It is import-"

At this time the door to the drama room slammed open, revealing a burgundy-haired male with pale skin and violet eyes. "Oh, my God," Bloom muttered, her face flushing from embarrassment.

"—important that you not be late. Mr. Peters, how nice of you to join us. Mind explaining why you're late?" Ms. Cooper finished, causing quite a few people to stifle laughs.

"Didn't think I'd make it," the male muttered, causing Bloom to roll her eyes.

"Didn't _want_ to make it is more like it," she muttered beneath her breath, causing Flora to laugh and Ms. Cooper to glance at her with her lips twitching.

"Mh, well, you did. So no more arriving late. Is that clear?" the black-haired teacher inquired, though it was more of an order.

"Yes, ma'am," the boy muttered in response. When he just stood there, his sister spoke up.

"Riven, sit down somewhere. The meeting's almost over," Bloom sighed, her face still lightly flushed. Riven spared a glance at her before moving to do as she had said.

"Now, tomorrow is going to be our first rehearsal but not technically. We still have a few things to do before we actually start rehearsing. However, I would appreciate it if you could get your parents and siblings who are partaking in the musical to join us here as well. If they can't, we'll discuss it after the meeting. You may go now. Be in here tomorrow by 4 p.m.!" the teacher called as an after-thought as everyone started filing out the door. "Bloom, make sure your brother gets here."

"I will, Ms. Cooper. I'm sorry he interrupted you," Bloom answered, giving the woman a small smile.

"Don't worry about it," Ms. Cooper responded with a wink. "I'll see you tomorrow." The girls waved to her as she returned to the office portion of her room.

"What now?" Stella sighed, looking at her two friends.

"Well, as much as I'd love to find out what's with Flora and Helia... Now we go and head home. I have to talk to my parents, and remember who my ride is for today," Bloom answered the blonde. The trio shared a moment of laughter before Bloom's name was called in impatience. "See you tomorrow."

And with that, she and her brother joined each other in their mutual and comfortable silence on their short way home.

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**So~ that's the first chapter. It's a lot longer than my usual firsts, ne? I was proud of myself, but hey, that's just me being, well, me.**

**And yes, I purposely made it to where Bloom didn't check for Riven's name. I didn't want to give away anything before the end. So, first relatives down. Only one more to go. And that will either be revealed in the next chapter or the one after that. If anyone's wondering, the next one will pretty much be in Sky's view. Just a heads-up. ;)**

**Hope you enjoyed~ Sarah and I would really like to start seeing some reviews, if possible. And if you haven't figured it out, it's rated "T" for the cussing and, well, sexual references. But they're teenagers, jeez. In the show they act like freakin' 10-year-olds, but they won't here. 'Kay? Well, see ya soon for the next installment!**

_**~-=+The Dynamic Duo+=-~**_


	2. Because Lunchtime is Talk Time

_**Disclaimer: We do not own Winx Club. Or Hairspray. **_**Nor do we own Taylor Lautner. **_(Someone shoot me. -.-; Wait, wait! Do we own Peter Facinelli? O.O) _**Erm, no... **_(That royally sucks. -.-) _**I know. **_**-Sigh.-**_

**Okay, Sarah is not here with me this time, either. But I knew she'd say that (or at least something like it) about my Taylor Lautner obsession. And then she likes Peter, obviously. Lol.**

**Alrighty, we have the arrival of Musa in here, plus some characters to mix it all up. =D Like, boys who will make relationships difficult. One of them blatantly says who he likes, so you'll know the craziness there, and then the other, well, it's kinda obvious. So I'll leave that up to you guys to understand.**

**I think that's all I have to say for now. ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT I ACTUALLY UPDATED WHEN I SAID I WOULD~**

**OH, AND HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE WAS FREAKIN' AWESOME. XDDDDDDDDD**

**Sorry, guys, I have problems.**

**Anywho, let the story continue~**

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Chapter ii: Because Lunchtime is Talk Time

"I'll see you at lunch," Skyler Johnson murmured to his girlfriend before he kissed her cheek and dropped his arm from her waist.

As per usual, Diaspro didn't say anything in response as he watched her go into her classroom.

"Dude, I don't see why you put up with that," Brandon's voice sighed, causing Sky to glance at his best friend curiously. "Come on, dude. She treats you like a... belonging. You could have practically any girl in this school, yet you stay with the one—"

"Who doesn't treat me like I'm some freakin' god. I've told you this before, but since you seem to be such a forgetful person, I'll tell you again: I want to be treated as an equal," the blonde scowled, his hands clenched into fists.

"You're not getting it from her, obviously. And you look for two completely different things in a relationship. I've heard of opposites attract, but this is crazy, and you know it. I know you're partially still with her because of the whole girl-swarming thing, but man, you could get that with anyone else," the brunette retorted.

"Things are perfectly fine the way they are! I'm sick of having this argument with you, Brandon. So let it go," Sky growled out between clenched teeth.

The warning bell knocked them out of their fight stances, and they headed to the gym in tense silence. The moment they entered, giggles hit their ears, only succeeding in making Sky's mood worse than it already was. But of course he couldn't show it; he had to keep his composure at least somewhat when all he really wanted to do was punch a wall.

A nudge from Brandon made him look to his left. "Red's in here," the brunette male stated with a grin.

"I know she is, dude. She's sat over there like an outcast since the beginning of the year," Sky answered, wondering what the hell Brandon noticed in this class if he _didn't_ notice a girl sitting alone.

"Let's go sit with her," Brandon replied, already walking towards her.

"Brandon, I don't th—"

"Come on, dude," Brandon cut him off. "She might want some company." With a wink the brunette took off up the bleachers to where the redhead they'd officially met the afternoon before was seated. "Hey, Red, what's up?" the brunette asked as he sat down on the girl's right. Sky made his way up the bleachers at a slightly faster pace at the expression on the redhead's face. However, it changed as he got closer, and a smile slowly curved her small lips.

"Nothing, really... Where's—"

"Hey, Bloom. How're you doing?" Sky spoke as he stopped and seated himself on the bleachers one step below them.

"Mh, nevermind. I'm doing fine, I guess. Do you guys need help or something?" the redhead inquired, her turquoise eyes moving back and forth between the two boys.

"Nah. We're just visiting. Sitting with girls who, what was it you said? 'Want to get in our pants?' Yeah, not all those guys are fans of it, and you were sitting all by your lonesome..." Brandon trailed off.

"Right," Bloom answered with a nod. "And you randomly made this decision today? You know, _after_ you found out I exist?"

The frankness caused Sky to wince.

"Man, gotta love that spitfire, hm? C'mon, Red, don't hold it against us," Brandon sighed, trying to flatter himself out of it.

"Hey, don't bring me into this, dude. I knew she was in the class. But she gives off a 'stay away from me or I'll kill you' vibe," Sky defended himself.

"See, Ken's got instincts," Bloom spoke with a nod.

"So do I," Brandon answered, winking.

"Want me to let you in on a secret?" Bloom asked, lowering her voice conspiratorially. Brandon nodded in response while a feeling of dread started dawning on Sky. This was not going to turn out well. "The girls who want to get in your pants?" the redhead continued, leaning towards Brandon. "I'm not one of them," she snapped, coming back to her upright position.

"Ouch, Red. That hurt," Brandon played, causing Bloom to roll her eyes.

"Alright, Blondie, don't just sit there and watch. You said I gave off vibes, and I do, so I'd appreciate it if you'd take Corny over here and go bother your loyal subjects or something," Bloom sighed in annoyance, her gaze shifting lazily to Sky's. For a second time, the blonde's mind refused to work as a grin slowly took over his features. Pissed or not, there was just something about her that caused him to feel oddly relaxed and... amused. Or maybe it was happy. There was really no telling, honestly. It was all weird.

"What?" The word knocked Sky from his analysis, and he noticed the girl was blushing.

"The fact that you think I can control him is amusing," Sky answered; technically, it wasn't a lie. It actually was quite funny that she thought he could order Brandon around.

"Your girlfriend does a decent job of it," the redhead muttered, and Sky bit down on his tongue to keep from snapping at her. That would not be a good way to start their friendship.

"Hey, Diaspro can be quite scary. She hates me as it is, and I'd like to keep my life, thank you," Brandon spoke in his own defense, his pride doing all the talking.

Bloom surprised them both by laughing. "Are you kidding? You think Diaspro's bad? You two have seen nothing compared to Stella, Flora, and me."

"Flora? The sweet little brunette?" Sky replied incredulously. "She couldn't harm a fly."

"Blondie, you haven't been friends with her for about ten years," Bloom pointed out, a grin planted on her face. Once again Sky found himself wanting to return the grin.

"True. But you haven't been with Diaspro for about two years now," Sky retorted, causing the redhead to scoff and roll her eyes.

"Please, all you have to do is say or do something inappropriate, and she'll melt on the spot. _That_ was proven yesterday," Bloom threw back in response.

An uncharacteristic blush burned on Sky's face at the accusation, and he felt a bit embarrassed. He had an oddly strong urge to decline her words, but they were true.

"_He_ can, but when he's not around, who's supposed to keep her from killing me by throwing me into a fire pit?" Brandon cut in.

"You are, Flirty," Bloom sighed, turning her gaze back to Sky's friend. "You're definitely stronger than she is, seeing as she obviously eats, like, a pack of crackers a day."

"Diaspro's not—" Sky tried to defend his girlfriend.

"Dude, do you even _watch_ her anymore? You're supposed to have some carbs and calories in your diet. It's unhealthy to just eat salad with no dressing and specific kinds of crackers," Brandon cut his friend off.

Sky frowned at the brunette. "It's... but..." He stopped talking as a hand lightly touched his shoulder. He blinked over at Bloom, opening his mouth to speak again.

"She doesn't eat much at school. That's all I know. Watch her today," Bloom stated seriously, her turquoise eyes intense. His mouth suddenly dry and his mind blank again, all Sky could do was nod his head dumbly. Bloom's hand slipped from his shoulder and her gaze shifted up over his head, which was the only warning he received before Coach Codatorta started lecturing them about the day's activities.

* * *

Sky sighed, running a hand through his blonde locks as he made his way down the hallways and to the cafeteria for lunch. Bloom had completely ignored and avoided Brandon and him during the rest of their phys. ed. class. But what she and Brandon had said to him about Diaspro was going through his mind continuously. Had he really stopped actually caring so much he didn't notice anything about her that should've triggered an alarm bell?

"Sky! Damn it, dude, listen to me when I call your name!" a boy's voice snapped, causing the blonde to stop in his tracks and see who was calling for him. "About time," a black-haired male a few feet back growled.

"Sorry, Andrew. What do you need?" the blonde inquired.

"Musa said she needed to talk to you at lunch. I don't know why, but she wanted me to tell you," Andrew answered as the two continued heading to the cafeteria.

"She couldn't hunt me down herself?" Sky asked, quirking a brow at his black-haired friend.

"Dude, she's your cousin. How the hell would I know?" Andrew retorted.

"I thought you liked her," Sky answered, his brows furrowing.

"That's old news, man. Now it's that chick Flora," Andrew replied with a grin.

"Isn't she a bit... innocent for your tastes?" the blonde questioned, knowing how Andrew worked.

"Ain't nothing wrong with a bit of innocence," the black-haired boy answered, raising his eyebrows.

Sky thought about responding but thought better of it. Andrew needed to learn a thing or two, anyway.

The moment they entered the cafeteria, Sky looked around for Diaspro, spotting her almost immediately. "See you later, Andrew," the blonde called as he and his friend separated. The moment he reached his girlfriend his arm curled around her waist and he dropped a kiss on her neck. Diaspro leaned back into him, and he grinned at the others already seated. His grin dropped, however, when two normally occupied seats were open. "Hey, where are Brandon and Nicolas?"

"Being a disgrace and associating with losers. But whatever, they were only sitting with us because you requested their presence," Diaspro answered off-handedly.

Sky frowned at her words, feeling a bit like she'd just slapped him. Brandon and Nick were two of his closest friends because they kept the atmosphere light and tried to keep him in his comfort zone by treating him like they would everyone else. "Did they say who they were going to sit with?" the blonde sighed after a moment.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying much attention," Diaspro replied, though she didn't sound very sorry.

"I think he mentioned something about 'red' or maybe that was..." a green-haired boy (he'd dyed his hair, of course) trailed off. In Sky's opinion Laine wasn't very bright, but Diaspro's "friend" Chimera had started dating him recently, so he was, for the moment, what everyone deemed "popular." But for once Laine had given Sky information that had helped.

"Thanks, Laine. I'll be back in a minute," the blonde told them all before brushing a kiss on his girlfriend's cheek and stopping to murmur against her ear, "and I expect you to be waiting..." Let her think of it what she would.

With a sigh he released his hold on her and turned to survey the room for the people who would lead him to Brandon and Nicolas. If he was having a good day, Sky genuinely liked the layout of their cafeteria. It was separated in four parts: the kitchen, a teachers' and administrators' section, a section with vending machines, and a seating area for a majority of the students. But there were also tables for students interspersed at other points, and it generally helped to keep specific groups of people away from others so that no extremely violent fights broke out. Now, fights occurred, yes, but they were a lot more controlled here than at most public schools.

Of course now was the time he was really hating the setup. It made things more difficult for him to find his friends. Thus he took a deep breath and crossed to the other side of the cafeteria. Now he wasn't a coward of any sort, but some people at the school would quite possibly get a kick out of bloodying him up if the chance arose. And that's not to say he _couldn't_ fight, but he _was_ human, and people who lived on – or still did live on – the streets were not fun encounters when it came to fights.

All that aside, though, Sky continued his search and spotted the group almost immediately. Not many people had red locks like Bloom Peters, and not many redheads hung out with a blonde girl and a brunette girl. Plus, the moment he'd found her, he'd seen Brandon's familiar figure, along with Nick's dirty blonde locks. So he made a beeline for their table, ignoring the glares he received from some people as he did so.

"...surprised when I found out he was your brother. Oh, hey, dude," Brandon greeted, grinning at the blonde over the girls' heads.

The brunette girl – Flora – turned around partially and smiled warmly at him. "Hello, Sky. Brandon and Nicolas were just about to go back to your table so you weren't, well, they said... what was it exactly?" the girl faltered, turning to look at the two boys.

"I believe they said, so they 'cold be his lifesavers,'" Stella answered for them, grinning as she spared him a glance.

"Gee, guys, thanks," Sky snapped sarcastically.

"Aren't you supposed to be force-feeding someone right now?" Bloom teased as she glanced at the male over her shoulder.

The overall effect of such a simple gesture – hell, Stella had done the same thing a moment ago – was confusing and oddly overwhelming. Something in the way the redhead acted, though, caused Sky's heart to race, causing him to hear a slight pounding in his ears that matched his pulse. Since anything he would've said at the moment would've been completely unintelligible, Sky glanced at Brandon and Nicolas for help.

"Hey, now, Bloom, we don't see you three eating anything," Nick pointed out, a smile playing at his lips.

"We wait for the lines to go down. It'd be pointless to stand in the line for a long time when we can sit down and talk in the same amount of time," Flora replied, amusement in her voice.

"So you want to be lazy?" Brandon summed up.

"Is there a problem with resting the one chance you get?" Bloom shot back.

"Not really, but you know what they say about lazy people..." Brandon trailed off.

Stella gasped loudly, her eyes widening. "Are you calling us fat?" the blonde exclaimed.

"I _know _they aren't," a male voice snapped, causing the three boys to start while the girls smiled up at the newcomer.

"Hey, Riv," Bloom greeted the burgundy-haired male cheerfully as he sat down next to her.

"They bothering you?" the boy muttered, nodding his head in the direction of Sky and then his friends.

"Nah, not really," Bloom answered, receiving a nod as a response from the male.

"You know, now that he's spoken, I can see the family trait between you two," Brandon commented, causing Sky to furrow his brows in confusion. They were related?

"Thanks," Bloom replied sarcastically, "it's been my life-long dream to be told I act like my brother. No offense, Riv."

"None taken. I don't want people to say it, either," the male responded, shrugging his shoulders.

"There you are! You know, when someone tells you they need to speak with you, it normally means to go speak with them," a female's voice snapped, causing Sky to flinch. Ah, his cousin was so subtle. "And your girlfriend needs to watch what she says to me. She and I were gonna have a smack-down had Andrew not put a stop to it," the girl continued as Sky turned around to face the bluish-black-haired teen. Her hair was like her trademark: you were lucky if you never saw it in pigtails. Her purple eyes flashed in annoyance, letting Sky know he'd have to tread carefully.

"I'm sorry, Musa. I was going to, but I got pre-occupied, so I was going to talk to you a bit later," the blonde male explained, giving the girl a half-smile. "Really."

"Whatever," Musa snapped, folding her arms across her chest. "I should know by now that we have to make sacrifices, not you." With a sigh she paused, which caused Sky to open his mouth to defend himself. "Anyway," the teen cut him off, "my dad's going out of town for a week or two for some important show he's putting on, and he wanted me to talk with you and see if you guys had any guests coming so that I wasn't, as he calls it, intruding."

"Uhm, I'm quite sure we don't, but my mom's going to be at that meeting this afternoon, so—"

"Yeah, yeah, we can talk with her. Whatever. So, which unsuspecting girls are you three preying on this time?" Musa sighed uninterestedly, though a smirk teased her lips.

"We don't prey on girls, thank you. They willingly allow us to be in their company," Brandon answered, smiling as he spoke.

"I don't recall inviting you to sit with me during phys. ed. this morning, Sir Flirts-a-Lot, and I also know I didn't ask you to intrude at this lunch table," Bloom retorted, a sly smile curving her lips.

"What'd I tell you, dude?" the brunette boy asked Nicolas. "Spitfire."

"What good is a girl without it?" Nick inquired, winking at Bloom.

"Watch it, pal, or that damn eye will be too swollen to open, let alone wink," Riven growled suddenly, oddly earning some points from Sky. He'd felt a twinge of annoyance for some reason, though it more than likely had to do with the fact that Nicolas, though he never meant to, led girls on because he was just so friendly. Not flirty like Brandon, just friendly. He didn't exactly know how to discern between what was being friendly and what was crossing the line.

"Yo, I asked for some names. Stop flirting with 'em and give me things to call them by," Musa snapped in annoyance, causing Brandon, Nick, and even Riven to look up at her.

"Alright, uh, the blonde at the far end is Stella... Laris," Sky started, trying to recall their first and last names from the day before, "the brunette to the left of her is Flora... Drake, the redhead is Bloom Peters, and the boy is Riven Peters, her brother."

"Yeah, I figured his name out yesterday during the meeting," Musa replied, a touch of disdain in her voice. "Anyway, I'm Musa Rhythm, the blonde idiot's cousin."

Bloom was the first to react, her giggles muffled behind her hand, causing Musa to grin. Brandon and Nicolas both grinned then, and while Stella started giggling along with Bloom, Flora bit down on her lower lip, looking like she wanted to frown and smile at the same time as Riven smirked.

"I really don't find this humorous in any way, but I'm glad you're all amused at my expense," Sky muttered sarcastically.

"Oh, come on, Skyler," Musa sighed, her grin only widening as he narrowed his eyes. "You know, I wonder if it's because of the girly name why you look so girly."

A blush of embarrassment and anger painted his cheeks.

"That's really mean," came Flora's soft voice.

"Eh, he's used to it," Brandon waved it off.

"So?" the trio of girls asked at the same time, surprising everyone else, especially Sky.

"That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt," Flora continued.

"I think he's far from being hurt by something _I _say," Musa replied, causing Flora to stare at her.

"But it _is _embarrassing," the redhead answered this time. "Would you want someone to run around calling you something stupid like 'Miss Piggy' because of your pigtails?"

"That relates to the conversation in no way what-so-ever, Bloom," Stella spoke the thoughts of everyone but Flora.

"Yes, it does. I don't know about you, but I'd hate to be called Miss Piggy my whole life, even in high school. Especially in front of people I don't really know," Bloom explained.

Sky felt a smile start to quirk his lips, both from comprehension and late excitement from her defending him. The thought made him giddy, and that confused and scared him.

"And being a pretty boy is part of his appeal to most girls. He pulls it off with just the right touches of masculinity," Flora finished, making Sky think she was either poetic or a big romantic.

"Well. My cousin found girls who see more than just his face," Musa observed with a grin. "Cool."

"I think he's speechless," Nicolas added, making Sky realize he'd been silent the past minute or so.

"I was not. I just had nothing to interject with," the blonde answered, starting to feel embarrassed again.

"Of course you didn't," Brandon taunted with a grin, locking eyes with Sky before glancing at Bloom then back at the blonde, wagging his brows and making the blonde turn his head to hide the blush wanting to spread through his face.

What was with him? He hadn't blushed so much since he was in, like, kindergarten.

"Why would there have been? Flo and I are just awesome like that. We could make pirate ninjas look like losers," Bloom joked, winking at her brunette friend.

"Sky, you've been over _here_ for most of lunch?" the condescending voice of Diaspro rang out, ruining the friendly atmosphere.

"Uhm... yeah," Sky answered the rhetorical question.

"You have got to be kidding me," the cream blonde muttered beneath her breath, but by the look on Bloom's and Stella's faces, everyone was capable of hearing her.

"Is there a problem with it, Bitch Barbie?" Stella snapped, and Sky winced; all hell was going to break loose. "Worried some Teresa's going to swoop in and steal your annoying Ken?" Stella continued, a smirk forming on her lips. Okay, her nickname for him was starting to bother him.

"As if," Diaspro scoffed. "He just doesn't have to associate with the peasants when he can associate with the nobles.

"Diaspro, stop. Th—"

"Hey, no one _asked _any of them to bother us," Bloom snapped, sufficiently cutting Sky off in more ways than just by interrupting him. She'd gone from defending him to attacking him in just a short minute?

"Oh, so they just stayed because you're so enthralling?" Diaspro inquired, laughing. "That's a riot."

"They're a helluva lot more entertaining than you," Nicolas retorted.

"Then you and Brandon can sit with them the rest of the year. You're not welcome at our table anymore," Diaspro retorted simply, shrugging.

"You can't go around doing that! We're the only people Sky actually likes to talk to there!" Brandon exclaimed heatedly, his hands curling into fists.

"I don't hear him jumping to your defense," Diaspro responded with a cat-like grin.

"Whatever. We don't want to sit there anyway," Nick stated with a firm shake of his head.

"Diaspro..." Sky mumbled, gaining everyone's attention. "That's not fair. You said so earlier that they were my friends so they could sit with us."

"That was before one of them felt he was allowed to insult me. Now let's go," the cream blonde ordered as she turned around and started back towards their lunch table.

"Bitch," Brandon hissed, slamming his fist onto the table. "Your girlfriend has officially become a fuckin' bitch," the male continued, looking up at Sky.

"Watch your tongue," the blonde growled in response, his eyes narrowing at his best friend. "I've had it with your remarks. Okay, you don't like her, but remember: _I_ _do_."

"Then go make her eat something," Bloom spoke in place of Brandon, her tone oddly quiet. "Speaking of which, we can go through the line like lightning now," she continued, her tone louder and light as she stood up. "See you at four, Blondie." She flashed him a smile as she and the other two moved past him.

"What. The. _Hell_?" Sky sighed, massaging his temple.

"Ask my self that question daily," Riven agreed, and the other three boys laughed, the tension dispelling.

* * *

**This one was longer than the other one. Not by much, but it was. I had more fun writing in Sky's view, personally. It was just... I'unno, entertaining? XD There's no telling why I liked it. But I did. So I hope you guys liked it as well. He will get more... boyish as this goes along. But it'll mainly be towards Bloom. And of course Diaspro will have to kind of reign him back in, which will suck to write, but the story has to have something for them, right? Right.**

**Now, I'm sure some people are like, "Uh, what the hell happened to Musa?" She left. And I didn't feel the need to address it because it'll be addressed in the next chapter. WHICH~ Tecna and Timmy come into. So the nerds are arriving. :D And it's in Musa's view next. So, there are your two not-so-much-spoilers.**

**I think that's it for now.**

**Oh, wait, that's a lie. I wanna know what you guys think about the whole Sky and Diaspro thing. Like, everyone's reactions to it, Sky's obliviousness and reasoning for dating her, Diaspro's odd behavior when it comes to him... That stuff. So, let me know? =D**

**Ah, one thing I forgot: if I don't get a chance to update this weekend, you won't see another chapter until, like, next weekend. I'm going on vacation next week so I most likely won't have a way to update. I can try, I suppose. But I cannot give any guarantees. ;)**

**See ya soon~**

_**~-=+The Dynamic Duo+=-**_


	3. Crushes Suck, Big Time

_**Disclaimer: We do not own Winx Club, nor do we own Hairspray. **_**But, we did make Jephrey, Andrew, Nicolas, and Savannah~ :D **_Man, Jephrey is the best... Well, aside from Carlisle/Peter... and Riven. :) _**Riiiiight.**

**Anyway, Sarah isn't here with me today, either. And tomorrow I start back school. Sucks ass, I know. So that means less updates. Sorry, guys. I know this one was extremely late, but it took me a while to get the wording and the idea out, and then it wound up slightly sucking/lacking. Slightly shorter than the other two, as well. I have officially proven I cannot do Musa's view very easily. But I will prevail for the story~**

**Since you waited a while, I won't dawdle on useless things. **

**Hope I didn't disappoint; and let the story continue~ ;)**

* * *

Chapter iii: Crushes Suck, Big Time

"Okay, so, Musa's getting speakers, Tecna's getting cables, Timmy's bringing tools, Stella's bringing snacks, and Riven and I are getting the movie and the music," the redhead listed off. "Is that right?"

"Yes. We will meet back here in exactly thirty-four minutes, forty-two seconds, and fifty-seven milliseconds," a fuchsia-haired girl spoke, causing the small group to stare at her, minus the chestnut-haired male with glasses.

"Right, Tecna. Whatever you say," the pig-tailed teen agreed.

"All right, let's go!" Stella exclaimed with an odd enthusiasm none of the others felt.

"Should we really bring all of this? I mean, we didn't let Sky know, and..." Flora trailed off as Musa waved her hand.

"Don't worry. If his parents care, I can deflect that easily," the bluish-black-haired girl answered simply.

"Yeah, and all Bloom has to do is bat her eyes and smile at Sky, and any complaints from him or Diaspro will be silenced," Stella teased.

"Whatever," the aforementioned girl retorted, rolling her eyes. "Let's just go; we're losing time to actually get the supplies we're supposed to be getting," Bloom sighed, trying to find the easy way out.

"Come on, then," the turnip-haired male muttered, as cross as he'd been every time Musa had seen him. The two siblings walked away from the group – as did Tecna and Timmy – and it was awkwardly silent for a moment.

"God, you're so right, Stella. How depressing is that, though?" Musa sighed as a slightly delayed response.

"I know, right? You should, like, so have seen them yesterday," Stella answered.

"I think you're reading too much into it," Flora murmured, frowning.

"No, he was blushing at lunch today and had the most difficult time thinking and speaking. Normally he's not so disoriented. I think there's something about Bloom that appeals to him, suits his fancy," Brandon cut in, the only male still hanging around.

"Okay, I'm going to be late at is it is. See you guys back here soon." Musa was swift in her parting; if there were some things she didn't want to dissect, her cousin's odd attraction to a girl he barely knew was one of them.

* * *

"Jeez, your cousin live far enough out of the district?" Bloom questioned, seeing as they'd driven for about forty minutes already, just from the school's parking lot.

"And in the middle of nowhere?" Stella added, gesturing to the forest and fields on either sides of the road.

"They like their privacy. And no one's crazy enough to think about coming all the way out here to ste—whoa, turn left here!" Musa yelled to the male driving.

The three girls piled in the back didn't have a chance to brace themselves as the car turned sharply to make the turn successfully.

"Damn, Riv, easy on the turns. You're going to throw me out of the car," Bloom complained, having been the unfortunate one to be squished into the door by Stella and Musa.

"Well, if _someone _would have warned me sooner," Riven snapped.

"I told you to go slowly, Turnip Head. It's not my fault you had to be a speed demon," Musa growled. That boy was a major pain in the ass.

"Guys, it happened and we're fine. Don't argue about it," Flora sighed from the front of passenger seat.

"You weren't getting slung across the backseat, Flo," Stella disagreed.

"Okay, _princess_, you were cushioned. If anyone's going to complain, it should be my sister," Riven retorted to the blonde.

"All right, shut up! Stell, not a word until we get to Sky's house!" Bloom exclaimed exasperatedly. "Then you can whine to Brandon, who might actually care."

It was silent for a moment as Stella gasped. Then the girls laughed, causing Riven to shake his head.

"Girls," he muttered, only succeeding in making them laugh harder.

Clearing her throat to stop her laughter, Musa spoke directions once again, "Turn right up here, in between the cherry blossom trees."

The turn wasn't even a third as bad as the last one, and the car grew silent as they pulled up to a wrought-iron gate. Musa unbuckled her seat belt and crawled partially into the front of the car, leaning over Riven to rest her arms on the now-open car window.

"Name and purpose," came a male voice from the box protruding from the gate.

"Hey, Jephrey, it's Musa. Care to let me and my friends in the car behind me in? We're doing an assignment for the school musical," the pig-tailed girl answered, grinning. She loved Jephrey; he'd always covered for her and Sky when they snuck out as kids. Even then that was the only reason they ever collaborated together. Sad, really. But whatever, that all aside...

"Of course, Miss Musa. I will be at the door to greet all of you," the voice replied, sounding exponentially warmer.

"Thanks!" she called back as the gate opened. With a sigh she pushed herself up and then back into the back seat. "Just follow the driveway now."

"Musa, do they have, like, butlers and maids and cooks... like, staff?" the redhead to her right questioned in a soft voice.

"Uhm, kind of... but don't freak out about it in front of Sky. He can't stand it when people act all weird towards him," Musa explained, biting her lower lip. Hey, just because he was her cousin and they tended not to get along didn't mean she didn't care about his insecurity; she did care at times.

"Oh, my God! You said he lived in a house, Musa! This is a freakin' mansion!" Stella screeched, her amber eyes wide. "It's bigger than _my _home!"

"Okay, okay, I tweaked the truth a bit! Don't have a damn cow!" Musa sighed in annoyance, massaging her temple.

The car halted, the engine cut, and doors opened. Musa slid out after Bloom, who was being fairly quiet, considering the gasps coming from the other three, even Riven, though they probably came from the motorcycles and cars lined along the drive.

"This is amazing!" Tecna's voice sounded a few feet behind them, followed by Timmy's appreciative whistle.

"Hey, are you okay?" Musa asked softly, and she blinked as Bloom turned to look at her confusedly.

"Yeah...?" the redhead answered, her brows furrowed. "Why?"

"You just went oddly quiet, and I thought something might have upset you," the teen replied.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I just... I didn't think people seriously did that, especially not in this town," Bloom answered, giving a half-smile.

"I know what you mean. It's definitely a bit weird," Musa agreed with a laugh.

They both left the other five "ooh"ing and "ahh"ing over random things as they headed to the front door. It opened before they got there and framed two people in its arching: Sky and an older, brunette male with the normal build of a thirty-three-year-old.

"Hey," the blonde greeted them first, grinning as he looked at the girl on Musa's right.

It was times like these Musa thought he was so pathetic.

"Hey," Bloom replied, looking from him to the male beside him. "I guess this is Jephrey?"

"Oh, yes," Sky replied, an embarrassed blush spreading across his face that caused Musa to grin.

"Hi, Jephrey. I'm Bloom Peters. Uhm, I hope it's not a problem that my brother's touching the cars and motorbikes; he's fascinated with anything that has wheels and wiring to a motor," the red-haired teen laughed.

"That's perfectly fine, Miss Bloom," the male answered, and Musa anticipated the girl's next words, not even caring to stop her.

"Okay, that makes me feel old. Drop the "miss," Jeph," Bloom spoke, putting up a hand in protest. "Hmm... Can I call you that? Jeph?"

"You may call me whatever you wish," Jephrey answered, smiling. That was a good sign. He liked Bloom already.

"Awesome. Now, Blondie, you might want to round up the others while we get stuff out of the cars," Bloom finally addressed the pig-tailed girl's cousin again before she turned on her heel and headed back to the cars.

"Stuff?" Sky inquired, quirking a brow.

"Yeah; snacks, speakers, music, the norm; you know, stuff," his cousin answered.

"Musa..." the blonde groaned.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea. Since you left with Diaspro, like, immediately after the meeting was over, Bloom took the liberty of assigning us stuff to bring, along with bringing the movie we have to watch since, you know, none of us actually _have _it," Musa replied, taking note of how his expression changed marginally when Bloom's name was mentioned as the perpetrator. "Man, Stella and Brandon were right. You _are _crushin', and bad."

"I... that's ridiculous! I don't even know her!" the male protested, a blush coloring his face.

"Mh, I heard about how you knew her name and flirted with her yesterday. You know, it's okay to crush, Sky. You're only in high school, so it's not like we expect you to marry Diaspro, or any other girlfriend you get," Musa explained to the teen. "Oh, and to explain something I realized on my way here: you sound like you've watched her all year with what you told Brandon. Take that into account, and you have your reason for feeling like this. It just reared its ugly head a bit late," she teased with a grin. "Well, I'm gonna go help her before she comes to bite my head off."

* * *

"Holy mother of God," Bloom started, "I'm so freakin' hungry!"

Musa laughed once again at her cousin's expression of shock but relief. Bloom had been the only one to accomplish keeping her astonishment hidden in front of Sky. The others had failed the moment they walked in the door, Riven having said, "Hot damn," about something only guys would appreciate it seemed. They had been given the short-versioned tour of Sky's mansion and had finally come to the proclaimed "movie and game room" where everyone else was waiting.

"Yeah, dude, it's already past six," the dirty blonde male agreed, and Musa shook her head at him. Nicolas was always hungry.

"Nick, you're always hungry," Sky spoke his cousin's thoughts, and everyone laughed at Nicolas's crestfallen look.

"You guys are so mean," said male murmured, playing.

"Awwe, we don't mean anything by it, Nicolas," Bloom played along, patting the boy on the shoulder.

"Speak for yourself," Brandon retorted, grinning.

"Brandon's just an ass," the redhead waved off, still playing as she wrapped her arms around Nick's torso.

"If you even think about draping your arm around her shoulders, it'll be gone before you say, 'Ow,'" Riven growled before things went any further.

He was actually kind of cute when he was being the protective older brother. Those keywords being _kind of._

It was at this time that everyone in the room, excluding Riven, burst into laughter.

Bloom released Nicolas to go and hug her brother, who stood there stiffly, which caused Musa to smile.

Then, his violet eyes settled on her, and she blinked before looking away, an odd warmth creeping up her neck and into her face. What the hell? She never blushed, especially not because some guy noticed she was watching him and his sister with a smile.

"Okay, seriously, I _am _hungry," Bloom finally spoke again.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, and we all heard you the first time," a female snapped, and Musa found herself rolling her eyes.

"Nice to see you, too, Bitch Barbie," Bloom replied sarcastically.

Musa was really liking the redhead now; they might become good friends in the near future.

"Oh, Red's spitfire's out again," Brandon called out. Like that needed to be said?

"Bloom, we'll go and get something. Diaspro, really, that wasn't needed. I'm hungry myself," Sky spoke up quickly to keep a fight from breaking out, obviously not noticing he'd just taken Bloom's side rather than his girlfriend's. Everyone else, however, noticed. Jeez, her cousin needed help.

"Uhm, Sky?" a voice cut through the silence, one Musa knew well. A smile curved her lips as almost everyone turned to find the speaker in the form of a strawberry blonde girl in the entryway of the room. "I thought your friends might be hungry when they all finally got here, so I got Jephrey to order pizza. It's downstairs in the kitchen, but..."

"I don't know who you are, but you've officially taken the spot as my favorite person," Bloom broke the silence first with a grin.

"That's Savannah, my cousin," Musa spoke next, and Bloom blinked, studying the little girl momentarily.

"Yep, the eyes give it away, now that I'm looking for a resemblance," Bloom agreed, nodding. "How old are you, Savannah?"

The girl opened her mouth, glanced in Sky's direction, and then shut it.

Bloom followed the glance and rolled her eyes before looking back at the girl. "I don't want to hear your brother say it; I've heard him talk plenty."

Like Musa expected, the little girl remained silent.

"Okay, how 'bout this: I'm Bloom Peters, and I'm sixteen years old. I have a pet bunny named Kiko, and your brother and his friends had no clue I existed until yesterday afternoon, but today all of them have tried to act like we've been best friends for years. And his girlfriend hates me because of it."

Musa grinned as the girl's face transformed from expressionless to happy and a giggle sprouted forth.

"I told you this morning: I knew you existed, but you gave off one of those vibes!" Sky exclaimed in exasperation, and Bloom mocked him, which only made the girl giggle more.

"Now, I told you about me. Will you tell me how old you are now? Please?" the redhead asked, squatting down to Savannah's height.

"I'm seven," the little girl answered, grinning at Bloom.

"I miss that age," Bloom sighed dramatically.

"I'm sure," Musa laughed, earning a childish response: Bloom stuck her tongue out. "So, as you may have guessed, this is my smarter cousin."

"Yep, this is our little princess," Sky agreed, for once not arguing, as he moved around Bloom and plucked the seven-year-old from the ground while she giggled.

"Alright, this is killing me. You watch Disney movies?" Stella spoke, asking the most random question.

Not to mention the most idiotic.

"Of course," the girl answered, willing to be more open now that Bloom had passed her little "test."

"Oh goodness," Flora's sigh came next.

"Which Disney Princess is your favorite?" Stella's eagerness was a bit freaky, to be honest.

Savannah did pause to think, however. "Ariel," she answered after a short - _very short -_ moment.

"Yes!" Bloom cried out in what seemed like victory. "I think she's become my permanent favorite person."

"Y'know, this is all great and very intriguing, but I'm starving," Nicolas sighed for the second time that evening.

"Can I eat with you guys?" Savannah inquired, and Sky paused a second too long, making the mistake of glancing at Diaspro.

Savannah's good mood dropped instantly.

"Oh, come on, Sky, she's your little sister. She's not bothering us," Bloom protested, and though he took a moment to debate it, Musa knew Savannah would be dining with them one way or another. Sky could hardly resist his little sister and obviously had problems when it came to Bloom; how could he withstand if they both teamed up on him?

"Alright, but you asked for it," Sky consented with a grin at Bloom.

Musa took this chance to look at Riven and see if he was in protective brother mode. She wound up disoriented as her gaze met a violet one. Another blush started to creep up her neck, and she looked away. This was really starting to freak her out.

First, she was blushing because she was embarrassed because he'd been looking at her when she'd chosen to look at him. She'd never felt embarrassed about something like that before, so why now? And why had she been blank-minded before?

But the thing that bugged her the most was this: why had he been looking at her in the first place?

* * *

**Soooooo, how'd you like it? I'm trying to apply a slight concept and keep tradition, just tweaked: crushing at first sight. Obviously it's not that difficult for people to be attracted to someone; I mean, come on. There is not a single person alive who can't say they were physically or emotionally attracted to someone because of the way they acted or looked or whatever. It happens. No one's said anything about it, but I don't want people thinking that I'm trying to rush things. I'm not going to; believe me, you'll be lucky if Musa and Riven and Bloom and Sky actually have an established relationship by the end of this story. Diaspro will be dumped on her ass by the end, yes, but there's no telling what will happen in other relationships.**

**I liked this part, really. Just because of the ties in it. I mean, it had a little bit of fluff, yes, but that didn't do much damage. That and the first showing of Bloom slightly destroying Sky and Diaspro's relationship.**

**What do you think about Savannah? Smart move, bad move? Sarah and I both agreed that Musa should be able to connect with someone aside from Riven and Bloom, so we gave Sky a little sister. She'll help pave the way for Diaspro getting herself thrown out of the picture. Obviously Savannah likes Bloom, and that little bond there will grow. And then just as obviously, Savannah hates Diaspro because Sky always puts his girlfriend's wants about others first, so where Diaspro dislikes everyone who could possibly take attention away from her, Bloom couldn't give a rat's ass because she can fit in with people if she really wants to. Thus the significance of Savannah.**

**I left out Helia and Tecna and Timmy didn't say or do much. BUT~ that was this chapter. I kind of split it somewhere in the middle so that it didn't wind up being too long, but the night will continue in the next chapter, which will be perceived from Riven.  
Alright, I've been debating back and forth about this because of obvious reasons: I want to show things from other people's eyes, but I don't want to go through 10 people because that's 10 chapters, and it will quite posibbly end up sucking. Do you guys care if, after Riven's chapter, it just switches views depending on what I want to happen? I already have specific scenes set out for Flora and Helia, Stella and Brandon, and Tecna and Timmy, and I know in what general area it'll happen. I just think it'll help the story progress better if I do it randomly from chapter 5 on. Let me know?**

_**PrayerSenshi: **_**Sarah and I are both glad you're loving the story. ^_^ I hope we can continue like this with the ideas that sprout forth randomly.**

_**macabrexpurinsesu: **_**Thank you. We're glad you're enjoying it. Here's yet another installment for you to read. Late, but here nonetheless.**

_**lulubell1234: **_**Wow. We appreciate your opinions, really. I wish I could tell you exactly what we have planned, but then that'd be boring for you to read. Let's just say that Sky and Diaspro have some problems, like every couple, but they're too stubborn to do anything smart like break up. Diaspro likes controlling people, so that's her main attraction towards Sky. As for the girls being friends and what-not, that'll definitely happen. What kind of WC story would this be if they didn't? ;D As for Bloom... you'll just have to read and find out about her, won't ya? XD**

**Well, see you guys soon(ish)~**

_**~-=+The Dynamic Duo+=-~**_


	4. Dancing and Singing First, Then a Movie?

**Disclaimer: SARAH AND I DO NOT OWN Winx Club. IF WE DID, SEASON 4 WOULD BE SOOO FINISHED BY NOW. And, well, Sky would be the main star. Haha. I guess I'll say that Sky and Riven both would be the main stars of the show. ;D And Bloom and Musa would not be so willing to fall for the two guys, and a helluva lot more chaos (FRIGGIN' AWESOME CHAOS) would happen.  
But you guys know this, yes? Lol.**

**Hello~ I am back again (finally) with a new chapter for you guys! Are you ready for it? 'Cause this one's for Rivvy-poo~  
XD**

**Well, sadly, Sarah is not with me as I post this chapter (what's new nowadays?) since school has started. But unfortunately, school isn't the only reason it took so long for an update. Actually, I kind of lost my muse for it because I started having asthma problems again, so my inspiration for writing ANYTHING died. As well as reading. Which, anyone can tell you (especially Sarah) **_**that **_**is odd for me. Very odd.**

**Anyway, this chapter has a LOT of singing (-cough-notasmuchasthenextone-cough-). And Diaspro is sparingly mentioned, but there was only so much I could do. We get some grand insight into guys from Riven, and, well, I hope you guys like it.**

**So, without further delay: let the story continue~**

* * *

Chapter iv: Dancing and Singing First, Then a Movie?

Everyone was talking amongst themselves while Bloom was trying to convince Sky to allow Savannah to come back in an hour or two after she finished her homework so that she could watch the movie.

Well, everyone was talking but Riven, that is. He was too busy trying to figure out a good reason to dislike Sky so he could snap at him to give in and leave his sister alone, but the male wasn't giving him any reasons because he was apparently a gentleman, and that only pissed the turnip-headed male off even more.

And it was because of Sky's impeccable manners that violet eyes had once again strayed to the annoying, pixie-like girl with her hair in pig-tails. Or Musa, as he knew her name very well.

Ever since she'd leaned over him in the car Riven had had the damnedest time trying not to think about how she smelt like cinnamon, something he loved – as a taste and smell both. And of course it didn't help that she was very appealing, and she'd been the only girl who had ever talked back to him and hadn't really annoyed him, aside from his sister of course.

So, yeah, to put things simply, Riven wanted to keep his mind off of her, and thusly his eyes, because she'd already caught him looking at her once, and that was not something he wanted to repeat, mainly because she would think he was attracted to her. Which he was, but he didn't want anyone else, and especially not her, to know that. But of course, thinking about her only made him want to look at her, so he needed to stop that.

And he was going to do that... right... now.

Like he had some major purpose, Riven turned his head in time to see Sky shaking his head in defeat while grins spread across both Bloom's and Savannah's faces. That poor boy; if he was as smitten as he looked, Sky was in for it with Bloom because she was about as stubborn as they came.

The next thing Riven knew, Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Timmy were all unpacking bags and discussing how to set it all up. Well, it was more like arguing.

"Stella, you just set the snacks aside. We all know not to let you near anything that has wiring you can see," Bloom sighed, just to get the blonde out of the fray. Miraculously, the blonde girl shut up and did as she was told. "Now, Tec, you and Muse can go ahead and set up the wiring for the speakers so that we can just plug it into the iPod Stell graciously bought me for Christmas. And Flora and I will set up the playlist for us to listen to. Timmy, you help Tecna and Musa, please," the redhead obviously added as an afterthought.

"So, two _girls _are doing the playlist?" Brandon asked skeptically.

"The most girly stuff I have on here at the moment is select Jesse McCartney, one or two High School Musical, and Disney. I _did _grow up with Riven, mind you," Bloom retorted, grinning.

"Yeah, and Jesse had some songs that were, deep down, about sex. Others were openly about sex," Stella added, causing some of the group to laugh.

One person scoffed and rolled her eyes, which was obviously Diaspro.

"Mh, she does have some of those depressing break-up and one-sided love songs," Flora pointed out, causing Riven's sister to heave a sigh.

"I'm sorry, but I happen to like Taylor Swift. And not all of them are _depressing _break-up songs," the redhead disagreed.

"Do you have any songs we would _like_?" Brandon inquired, still skeptical.

"I have Lynyrd Skynyrd, Linkin Park, 3 Doors Down... must I go on?" she replied.

"Guys, trust her. She'll have something that will appeal to everyone's tastes," Stella spoke, defending her friend.

"Her music isn't all crap. Let's put it, and leave it, at that," Riven muttered loudly.

"I'll accept that," Sky eventually said, nodding.

"Helia, I'm not sure I own anything you'd like," Bloom spoke truthfully as she scrolled through the songs on her iPod.

"You might be surprised," Helia answered, and Bloom laughed, Riven quirking a brow. He supposed that was possible, seeing as Flora listened to some music that might surprise people who didn't know her.

Useless banter surrounded Riven as they waited for the entertainment to be made.

It was about three minutes later, when Bloom had finally proclaimed they had finished the playlist, that Riven had noticed his gaze had strayed to Musa once again. This was really starting to become ridiculous. His mood soured, he crossed his arms and looked in the general direction of no one.

And it was because of this gesture that he was startled by the sudden playing of music and then Brandon's voice sounding with: _"Mum mum mum mah.  
Mum mum mum mah."_

Riven's interest was suddenly sparked as he glanced over to see that three girls were standing with Brandon in the "front" of the room: his sister, Stella, and Musa. All three of them were just swaying back and forth to the beat before Stella stepped forward, moving her now outstretched arms in front of her as she got a bit more animated with her movements, then began singing the next bits of the lyrics,

_"I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas plays  
Fold 'em, let 'em hit me, raise it, baby, stay with me, I love it.  
Luck and intuition play the cards with Spades to start  
And after he's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on his heart_

_"Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh  
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got,  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh  
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got_

_"Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my poker face."_

Brandon intervened suddenly with, _"She is got to love nobody."_

When Stella repeated the thirteen words she'd said before Brandon's interjection, Riven knew it was part of the song, and his speculation was proven correct when Brandon repeated his phrase; then, the song continued,

_"P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
(Mum mum mum mah)  
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
(Mum mum mum mah)"_

If Stella was doing anything, Riven was completely oblivious to it because Musa's movements had picked up with the beat, and his eyes were slightly preoccupied with watching how lithe her body was. And her hips could drive any insane man further into insanity; they hit the beat hard but not enough to mess up the sway.

He did notice, however, that Musa stepped forward while Stella stepped back, and picked up singing the song from there.

_"I wanna roll with him, a hard pair we will be  
A little gambling is fun when you're with me (I love it)  
Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun  
And baby, when it's love, if it's not rough it isn't fun, fun_

_"Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh  
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh  
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got_

_"Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my poker face  
(She is got to love nobody)  
Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my poker face  
(She is got to love nobody)_

_"P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
(Mum mum mum mah)  
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
(Mum mum mum mah)"_

Riven noticed abruptly when Musa stopped singing and his sister started. The odd rush of heat he'd been feeling was fairly quickly (and easily) clamped down on, and he was able to break from a "trance" he hadn't known he'd been in. This was the first time he was grateful his sister had interrupted something. She'd put a stop to feelings and thoughts he'd rather not touch on.

_"I won't tell you that I love you  
Kiss or hug you  
'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin  
I'm not lying  
I'm just stunnin'  
With my love-glue-gunning_

_"Just like a chick in the casino  
Take your bank before I pay out  
I promise this, promise this  
Check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous_

_"Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my poker face  
(She is got to love nobody)  
Can't read my, can't read me  
No he can't read my poker face  
(She is got to love nobody)"_

When Musa and Stella joined in to sing the song, Riven tried his damnedest to focus on his sister's and Stella's voices so he wouldn't start watching Musa again.

_"Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my poker face  
(She is got to love nobody)  
Can't read my, can't read me  
No he can't read my poker face  
(She is got to love nobody)_

_"Can't read my, can't read my  
No he can't read my poker face  
(She is got to love nobody)  
Can't read my, can't read me  
No he can't read my poker face  
(She is got to love nobody)_

_"P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
(Mum mum mum mah)  
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
(Mum mum mum mah)_

_"P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
(Mum mum mum mah)  
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
(Mum mum mum mah)_

_"P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
(Mum mum mum mah)  
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face  
(Mum mum mum mah)"_

Riven was excessively thankful when the song was over, though he was sure that there were more where this one came from. Since there was a pause - they seemed to be discussing who would sing the next song - Riven took a moment to survey the room to see if there was more damage than just his. By the flushed faces of Sky, Brandon, and Nicolas, the male assumed it was safe to say he wasn't the only one with the problem.

"How'd you guys manage to get rid of the original singers' voices?" Flora spoke out from her spot on the couch beside Helia. Well, they looked cozy.

"Actually, it was quite easy. You ta—" Timmy was about to launch into what Riven was sure would've been the most enthralling explanation ever, but he couldn't stand it.

"How long do you plan on debating over who's singing the next song?" he cut the nerd off, trying to be polite about it, unlike usual. Damn, disorientation didn't mix well with him.

"We've already decided, but Tecna's machine has to get rid of the voices for the moment, so we're waiting on it to start playing the music," Bloom answered almost immediately, like she'd been expecting the question.

Less than a second later, music flowed from the speakers, and Riven's violet eyes followed Bloom and Musa as they walked to the front of the room again. Two songs in a row? Were they really into these songs or something? Or did Bloom and Flora purposely do it?

The latter possibility was quite possible, though they had said they would find music that appealed to all of their tastes. When he recognized what song was playing, Riven quirked a brow. A little bit on the childish side, perhaps?

Of course all negative thoughts flew out the window when Musa's voice hit his ears again. He could fall asleep listening to her voice, and he was one of those guys who could only get to sleep in total silence, so that didn't sit well with him.

_"You make me feel out of my element  
Like I'm walkin' on broken glass  
Like my world's spinnin' in slow motion  
And you're moving too fast"_

The song, and Musa's body, sped up for the chorus, which Bloom entered in, giving Riven some semblance of normalcy.

_"Were you right, was I wrong  
Were you weak, was I strong  
Yeah, both of us broken  
Caught in a moment  
We lived and we loved  
And we hurt and we jumped, yeah  
But the planets all aligned  
When you looked into my eyes  
And just like that  
The chemicals react  
The chemicals react"_

Musa stopped singing, allowing Riven's sister to continue with the next verse, and Riven was pretty sure a certain blonde was hanging on to every word.

_"You make me feel out of my element  
Like I'm drifting out to the sea  
Like the tide's pullin' me in deeper  
Makin' it harder to breathe"_

Musa jumped in again, and they both sang until the end.

_"We cannot deny how we feel inside  
We cannot deny~_

_"Were you right, was I wrong  
Were you weak, was I strong  
Yeah, both of us broken  
Caught in a moment  
We lived and we loved  
And we hurt and we jumped, yeah  
But the planets all aligned  
When you looked into my eyes  
And just like that  
The chemicals react  
The chemicals react_

_"Kaleidoscope of colors  
Turning hopes on fire, sun is burning  
Shining down on both of us  
Don't let us lose it...  
Don't let us lose it..._

_"Were you right, was I wrong  
Were you weak, was I strong  
Yeah, both of us broken  
Caught in a moment  
We lived and we loved  
And we hurt and we jumped  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_"We lived  
We loved  
We hurt  
We jumped  
We're right  
We're wrong  
We're weak  
We're strong  
We lived, to love_

"_But the planets all aligned  
When you looked into my eyes  
And just like that  
Watch the chemicals react  
And just like that  
The chemicals react  
(The chemicals react)"_

As they finished, the two girls looked at each other and grinned, both in perfect synchronicity. It was actually a bit weird.

"Okay, for this next song, we need two guys, because, though I like it, I cannot hit the pitched and don't even want to try," Bloom laughed out, only slightly winded.

"And you have to know the song. Don't want some people getting up here and butchering it," Musa added, to which Bloom nodded in agreement.

"What song is it?" Helia inquired, and Bloom grinned.

"'Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny' by Lemon Demon," the redhead supplied easily.

"I'm willing to sing it," Helia answered, which got Bloom to clap her hands together.

"Hey, I can sing it, too," Brandon spoke up, slightly whining.

"You and Helia discuss it and let us know when you're ready, then," Musa replied, both her and Bloom walking to the speakers where the iPod was hooked up.

"While they're talking, why don't some of you come and see what song or songs you'd be willing to sing to pass time?" Bloom posed the question to the bored people standing around, and sitting. The people she was speaking to actually obliged and moved to do her bidding, though one of them wasn't a surprise to see do it.

And his girlfriend actually had something to say about it.

"I can't believe you're actually going to look," the cream blonde muttered, though she obviously spoke loud enough so anyone who wanted to could hear it.

Sky looked back at the girl, blinking. "But I want to. It's something fun, and I think Bloom posed a good idea to pass the time," he explained, turning and heading towards the group.

Haha. Smitten.

"Ooh! I know I'm singing a lot, but I _really _like that tenth song," Musa sighed, looking up at Bloom with a face that Riven had seen his sister, and every other girl he was associated with, use.

"Go ahead, Muse. You'll need a guy—wait, I know the perfect guy for that. Riv, you're gonna be singing a song with Musa!" his red-haired sister called to him, giving him a look that told him he was _not _going to get out of it.

Ah, hell.

"Bloom~ I wanna sing that song with you!" Stella exclaimed, pointing at something on the iPod screen.

"Alright, Stell," Bloom answered, smiling slightly. "But what about this song? I chose it specifically for you." Stella blinked, looking at the iPod. Then, he saw the blonde nod.

"Okay, I'll get Brandon to sing it with me," Stella agreed, and Riven found himself shaking his head. He had a feeling that was just what his sister had wanted.

"Bloom, can I sing that song?" Flora asked, pointing it out.

Why couldn't they just _say _what they were singing? This was getting bothersome.

"Hey, all the guys can sing this song." Riven watched in angry protective brother mode as Nicolas reached over Bloom to point and turned his head only slightly to smile at her. Did the guy have to be that close to her? Or all over her like that? Come on, that was so blatantly obvious! And why was his sister being so... receptive?

"Sounds good. What about this one, too?" she inquired, smiling sweetly back at Nicolas. If that boy got any closer to her, Riven was gon—

"You can be a bit more subtle. Your sister's going to date sometime, Riven," a voice cut off his thoughts. And then he smelt it—

Cinnamon.

Riven's head snapped around.

Violet eyes met purple ones.

'_Hell.'_

"I know," he answered, trying to keep the conversation so he didn't seem like more of a freak than he was sure he already looked like. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it, especially if it's a guy like that."

"There is nothing wrong with Nicolas. He means well, and he's new in the flirting department. Like, brand new," Musa explained, defending her friend's motives. "He really is harmless."

That was all she said before the music started, and then she was gone.

Then, Helia's voice reached Riven's ears.

_"Old Godzilla was hoppin' around  
Tokyo City like a big playground  
When suddenly Batman burst from the shade  
And hit Godzilla with a bat grenade  
Godzilla got pissed and began to attack  
But didn't expect to be blocked by Shaq  
Who proceeded to open up a can of Shaq Fu  
When Aaron Carter came out of the blue  
And he started beating up Shaquille O'Neal  
Then they both got flattened by the Bat mobile  
But before he could make it back to the Bat cave  
Abraham Lincoln popped out of his grave  
And took an AK-47 out from under his hat  
And blew Batman away with a rat-a-tat-tat  
But he ran out of bullets and he ran away  
Because Optimus Prime came to save the day!"_

Here, Brandon jumped in for the chorus.

_"This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny  
Good guys, bad guys, and explosions  
As far as the eye can see  
And only one will survive  
I wonder who it will be  
This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny"_

It went back to Helia.

_"Godzilla took a bite out of Optimus Prime  
Like Scruff McGruff took a bit out of crime  
Then Shaq came back covered in a tire track  
But Jackie Chan jumped out and landed on his back  
And Batman was injured and trying to get steady  
When Abraham Lincoln came back with a machete  
But suddenly something caught his leg and he tripped  
Indiana Jones took him out with his whip  
Then he saw Godzilla sneaking up from behind  
And he reached for his gun which he just couldn't find  
Because Batman stole it and he shot and he missed  
And Jackie Chan deflected it with his fist  
Then he jumped in the air and did a somersault  
While Abraham Lincoln tried to pole vault  
Onto Optimus Prime but they collided in th air  
Then they both got hit by a Care Bear's stare~"_

Brandon jumped back in.

_"This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny  
Good guys, bad guys, and explosions  
As far as the eye can see  
And only one will survive  
I wonder who it will be  
This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny"_

Brandon was the one who continued singing this time.

_"Angels sang out in an immaculate chorus  
Down from the heavens descended Chuck Norris  
Who delivered a kick, which could shatter bones,  
Into the crotch of Indiana Jones  
Who fell over on the ground, writhing in pain,  
As Batman changed back into Bruce Wayne  
But Chuck saw through his clever disguise  
And crushed Batman's head in between his thighs"_

Well, that would explain why it wasn't Helia singing. Where the hell had Bloom heard this song? Eh, it seemed to be Helia's turn again.

_"Then Gandalf the Grey,  
And Gandalf the White,  
And Monty Python and the Holy Grail's Black Knight,  
And Benito Mussolini,  
And the Blue Meanie,  
And Cowboy Curtis,  
And Jambi the Genie,  
Robocop, the Terminator,  
Captain Kirk,  
And Darth Vader,  
Lo Pan,  
Superman,  
Every single Power Ranger,  
Bill S. Preston,  
And Theodore Logan,  
Spock,  
The Rock,  
Doc Ock,  
And Hulk Hogan  
All came out of nowhere lighting fast  
And they kicked Chuck Norris and his cowboy ass  
It was the bloodiest battle that the world ever saw  
With civilians looking on in total awe_

_"The fight raged on for a century  
Many lives were claimed but eventually,  
The champion stood,  
The rest saw the better  
Mr. Rogers in a blood-stained sweat"_

Brandon jumped back in to finish the song out.

_"This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny  
Good guys, bad guys, and explosions  
As far as the eye can see  
And only one will survive  
I wonder who it will be  
This is the ultimate showdown~  
(This is the ultimate showdown)  
This is the ultimate showdown~  
(This is the ultimate showdown)  
This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny~"_

The group in the room started clapping, minus the sneering Diaspro, two girls in particular giving whoops.

"They actually knew all of the words! I think I'm gonna cry," Bloom sighed loudly, Musa laughing as she got up.

Riven stiffened. That girl could _not _be singing another song. And he sure as hell wasn't going to sing yet. Anyway, she'd said it was the tenth song, right?

No one seemed to think he was going to sing, either, so the boy relaxed. That was good. Except, Musa was singing and dancing again. Was someone out to get him? Like, really? Then the music started, and he heard the voices of Stella, Flora, Tecna, and Bloom before he heard Musa's.

_"(Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum)  
What's wrong with me?  
(Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum)  
Why do I feel like this?  
(Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum)  
I'm going crazy now~  
(Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum)_

_"No more gas in the rig  
Can't even get it started  
Nothing heard, nothing said,  
Can't even speak about it  
All my life on my head  
Don't want to think about it  
Feels like I'm going insane  
Yeah~"_

Riven knew he was doomed from the start. He had been enthralled the moment the music had begun and the pixie-like girl had started to dance. He couldn't take his gaze from her; not from her big eyes, her smiling lips, or the rhythm her body created, showing the beat. So when he could tell the music was going to swell in a moment, he made an effort to get a slight grip on himself and prepare for what was coming.

_"It's a thief in the night  
To come and grab you  
It can creep up inside you  
And consume you  
A disease of the mind  
It can control you  
It's too close for comfort_

_"Throw on your break lights  
We're in the city of wonder  
Ain't gonna play nice  
Watch out, you might just go under  
Better think twice  
Your train of thought will be altered  
So if you must falter, be wise_

_"Your mind is in disturbia  
It's like the darkness is the light  
Disturbia  
Am I scaring you tonight  
Your mind is in disturbia  
Ain't used to what you like  
Disturbia  
Disturbia"_

By this time Riven was way too far gone for even the other girls' voices to intrude in on his state.

_"(Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum  
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum  
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum  
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum)_

_"Faded pictures on the wall  
It's like they talkin' to me  
Disconnectin' your call  
You're phone don't even ring  
I gotta get out  
Or figure this shit out  
It's too close for comfort_

_"It's a thief in the night  
To come and grab you  
It can creep up inside you  
And consume you  
A disease of the mind  
It can control you  
I feel like a monster"_

Riven anticipated the music, couldn't really wait for what he knew was coming next. But he stayed in his corner of the room, watching Musa work her magic.

_"Throw on your break lights  
We're in the city of wonder  
Ain't gonna play nice  
Watch out, you might just go under  
Better think twice  
Your train of thought will be altered  
So if you must falter, be wise_

_"Your mind is in disturbia  
It's like the darkness is the light  
Disturbia  
Am I scaring you tonight  
Your mind is in disturbia  
Ain't used to what you like  
Disturbia  
Disturbia_

_"(Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum  
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum  
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum)  
Disturbia  
(Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum)_

_"Release me from this curse  
I've been trying to maintain  
But I'm struggling  
You can't go, go, go  
I think I'm going to oh, oh, oh_

_"Throw on your break lights  
We're in the city of wonder  
Ain't gonna play nice  
Watch out, you might just go under  
Better think twice  
Your train of thought will be altered  
So if you must falter, be wise_

_"Your mind is in disturbia  
It's like the darkness is the light  
Disturbia  
Am I scaring you tonight  
Your mind is in disturbia  
Ain't used to what you like  
Disturbia  
Disturbia_

_"(Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum  
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum  
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum  
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum)"_

The moment the song was over, Riven gained a slight control over himself. His throat was so dry, it hurt to swallow, and he knew he was most likely the only guy in the room so affected by her. But he couldn't help it. She was just so alluring, so mesmerizing. And even more-so when she was singing and dancing. His hands were clenched into fists, and he was trying very hard not to think about anything but calming himself down.

With another rough swallow, Riven stared down at the ground, trying to get his train of thought back on normal things, like cars and motorcycles. Hell, he'd take anything over this. This was dangerous. The last time he'd been so attracted to someone... well, it hadn't turned out well, and the attraction he had for Musa was definitely double that he'd had for the other girl.

Riven was _so fucking screwed_.

* * *

**So~ what do you guys think? =D**

**I tried hard to do well with Riven, so feedback on him would be greatly appreciated.**

**To those of you who might have worried, I'm not dead~ I know someone was worried about me, but I won't call her out 'cause she knows who she is (aside from you, Sarah, assuming you were worried, XD).**

**Well, I think this time I will reply to reviews through the service the sight gives, for two reasons:**

**One: I heard the fansite doesn't allow it anymore. Dunno what that's about.  
Two: It's a lot easier for me and allows me to personalize it. :)**

**Well, the next chappie is various POVs. And I know I said the movie would be in that one, but I have songs I would like to have in it, so it's aalll singing. And Savannah will join us again in chapter 6. :D**

**Welp, toodles~**


	5. Finally! Where's the Popcorn?

_**Disclaimer: All rights of the ten main characters go to Rainbow and Iginio Straffi. And Hairspray is, well, never going to be ours. Lol. **_**But if I owned either of them... the things I could do. Especially with the Winx Club. -Sigh.- **_Ya know, that worries me. o.o; _**I wouldn't do anything bad. I mean, Layla would never come into play, which ultimately means Nabu wouldn't be there, the pixies wouldn't have come into play, Lord Darkar probably wouldn't have met Bloom, so the Avalon impersonator wouldn't have gone to Alfea and gotten all the girls lovesick (and Sky jealous), and Sky wouldn't have made himself look like a total moron multiple times - okay, so that would've happened sometime anyway. He's a pro at being a moron. XD **_I agree completely. ^.^ But he's always a moron. XD _**But he's a cute moron. :D **_Uhm, okay, first: eww. -.-; Second, Sky is the exact opposite of cute. I mean, if anyone's cute, it's Riven. :)_ **Pfft. Riven's a douche. -_-**_ But he's a cute douche. =D_ **I guess we'll call a draw. Before we kill each other. XDD **_Yeah, before we literally kill each other. We're not joking people. I mean, we claw... _**I bite! :D **_Yes, Erica bites. I've had marks made on me. It's not pretty. _**But we're taking up a lot of disclaimer area. So we'll move onto actual details, shall we?**

**Okay, so for the first time since... I don't know, the first chapter? Yeah, I think that's the last time... (And yes, I am talking to myself.) Anyway, to get to the point, I am actually _with SARAH._ As I update. Isn't it amazing? XD I know you think it is.  
Now, all together: SARAH! WE MISSED YOU!  
What do you have to say to that, Sarah?**_  
...Yeah, you're the only one who said that. Lol. But I appreciate it anyways. :) It feels so weird being here again... O.o  
_**Okay, first: No. I am not the only one. I'm sure tons of people said it with me. XP Two: It does feel weird. But in the good way. Like, in the way that you and I are weird. It's the amazing way. XDD (And no. I am not being conceited. Jerks.)**_  
_

**Now, I'm gonna tell you guys something. Originally, you weren't going to get this for, like, at least 3 weeks. Because I had this **_(stupid)_ **idea to post all 6 chapters I owe you at once. But then I was going to owe you 7 chapters by the time I got done, and, well, needless to say, it would have turned into a never-ending cycle. Obviously Sarah thought my idea was completely moronic, and I'm sure you guys will, too. Of course, saying it aloud to someone kind of makes you think about it, and, well, I definitely needed some sense knocked into me. But you can thank Sarah for this update. She told me just how stupid my idea was, and, well, as my co-writer/editor/whatever the hell else she does, I took her advice. So I guess she's also my adviser... But whatever; the point is, she set me straight. **_(True story. ^.^)_** And I'm going to try to keep a once-a-week routine. **_(-Mouths.- I'm making her. Lol.)_** Most likely, I'll do updates on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, but if something changes, I'll let you know. ;)**

**But before we get on with this, I think we need to tell you about what happened once she got home from shadowing nurses. We left to go to the Lookouts Game, which was a horrible idea. _It was hot as hell tonight. (Not exaggerating. Being literal. 100 degrees, excluding the crazy humidity.)_ Anyway, before we even got there, we were stopped at a stop light, and there was this police car on the street perpendicular to the road we were on, and he was waiting to turn left. Well, once the light turned green and our car started moving, the police car's sirens went off and he pulled out to follow **_(I know what you guys are thinking. He was going to follow us. But you would be wrong. ^.~) _**some car going the opposite way. But Sarah and I thought he was going to follow us. It was hilarious. True story, as always. ;D**

**And then when we were at the game, we ate **_(It was a work function for my dad.) _**and before the game even started, Sarah, her mother, and I wanted to go home. We were sweating before we even got to sit down. It was awful. But we went and got those fans that you can ****spray water on yourself with. They saved us. **_(Yes, they did. ^.^ And they weren't 17 bucks, either. Disney World's fans were, like, a rip-off. -.-) _**This is true. Lol.**

**Then, when we left **_(early, thank goodness) _**we went to Blockbuster and got the rest of Book 2: Earth for Avatar: The Last Airbender. We can't wait to see the movie. ^^ **_(And Eclipse! Next week will be amazing! ^.^) _**Yeah, she's psyched about Eclipse, a lot more than I am. I only want to see Seth and Riley, really. Oh, and a shirtless Taylor Lautner is always good for me. So, those are about the only three reasons I really want to see the movie. I liked the Saga more before it became popular. Sorry, guys. ^^; **_(I get to see Peter!) _**OH, HEY! I get to see Jackson twice! In Eclipse and in The Last Airbender! Freakin' awesome! :D **_(Haha. Jackson's playing Sokka. That's gonna be good. :) And I hope Aang is funny.)_** He should be. Otherwise we'll sue. (Haha. Not really.)**

**All right, this is long enough! Let the story continue~ :3  
**

* * *

Chapter v: Finally! Where's the Popcorn?

All the girls – well, minus Diaspro because she was "above it" – were clutching their sides as they laughed, not sure just what had really happened. They knew the boys had sung "Stacy's Mom," but the thought of them finding any of their moms (as beautiful as they may be) attractive enough to think what the boy had been thinking was just so far-fetched that the girls had been lucky not to burst into laughter in the middle of the song. The boys were amused as well, but not for the same reason.

"W-w-wow," Bloom laughed out, fanning her face. She had tears forming from how hard she was laughing, and she seemed to be having difficulty getting calmed down.

Sky and Brandon shared a quirked brow before the former headed toward where the girl had perched herself on the floor in front of the couch. He nudged her with his foot and gave her a quizzical look. "What's so funny?"

Bloom held a hand up as she tried to compose herself long enough to give a coherent response. "You." Sky blinked; he'd figured _that _much out. "You and Timmy. Trying to imagine you with anyone's mom is just... ridiculous."

Sky wasn't sure if he and Timmy were being complimented or insulted, so he frowned. It seemed more like an insult, really. "It's a compliment," Riven spoke out of nowhere as he dropped onto the love seat.

Bloom blinked and looked up at Sky, a smile tugging at her lips. He looked like he didn't trust Riven's judgment, which was generally a smart move. Riven liked to tell people the exact opposite of what they should do because he believed that people should have the common sense to choose what to do. He was probably letting Sky off the hook because he knew how screwy the female brain could be. "Sky, this is one of those few instances where Riven is actually assisting you. Coming from me, it was more of a compliment," the redhead told the blonde, winking at him.

Sky shifted nervously and looked over at Brandon, trying not to blush like a little schoolboy. He hated how he couldn't just make a remark that would be confusing as to whether he was flirting or not so that he could walk away with his pride still intact. Something about her just made it impossible. He had only done that once, and it had been the first time they'd truly met, so it didn't exactly count.

When he looked back at Bloom, she had just stood, and she was close enough to where he had to step back to keep from acting on the physical attraction (and awareness) that slammed into him. He felt slightly better when he saw she had shifted away from him as well and had a blush painting her face. "Sorry," she murmured, avoiding his gaze, as she moved to go and help Stella and Flora with the snacks for the movie since Savannah would be in there soon.

Sky sighed and sat down on the couch, near his cousin. "Hm. Stella had pestered Bloom earlier about the physical attraction between her and you, and I had laughed it off. Now I think I'm seeing it. You two go together like lead and rhythm guitar parts. And she's the lead," Musa confided to the blonde, smirking at him.

"I—" Sky was about to defend himself – he _had _a girlfriend, and it seemed like all his friends were disregarding that – but was cut off by a girl's voice.

"Hey, there, Savannah!" Bloom called to the strawberry-blonde girl who was closing the door to the room.

"What is she doing in here, Sky?" Diaspro snapped, and Savannah flinched.

"She's in here because she finished her homework, and the majority is okay with it," Sky answered through gritted teeth. "If you have a problem with it, you don't have to stay." He had, frankly, gotten sick of Diaspro's actions toward his friends, and he was not going to stand for it when it came to his sister. Not anymore.

"Besides, she's not sitting anywhere near you," Bloom added, rather annoyed with the cream blonde as well.

"It's not like she'd want to," concluded Stella, and several people choked on their laughter while Savannah's face brightened considerably at the defense.

"Come sit by your brother and me," Musa called to her younger cousin, patting the somewhat small, empty space between her and Sky. Savannah's face only lit up more as she ran to get to the spot and then jumped into it, beaming up at her older brother.

"Awwe," Flora cooed, and Bloom smiled, nodding to show her agreement.

"Hey, you guys said _I _could do the snacks," Stella whined, and Bloom rolled her eyes.

"Of course, Stell, you do the snacks. I'll put the movie in," Bloom sighed, heading to the bag she'd brought and digging out the movie. "Flo, you can go sit down. We've got it."

"Uhm, could I sit next to you?" Flora murmured.

"Why? There's a spot next to Helia," Bloom answered, rather confused.

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Flora, if you don't go sit your ass down next to Helia, I will taunt you for the rest of your life," Stella snapped, her eyes narrowing at the brunette. Flora frowned but did as Stella ordered, heading over to the second couch in the room.

"Uhm, Helia?" she asked quietly, hoping no one else was witnessing one of the most embarrassing moments of her life.

Dark gray eyes shifted up to look into forest green ones as Helia blinked confusedly (and cutely). "Yes?"

"W-would you mind if I... uhm, if I..." Flora couldn't quite bring herself to ask, and she felt the all-too-familiar heat creeping up her neck and into her face.

Luckily for her, Helia understood with a simple glance around the room, and he found her timidity quite appealing and very cute. "Do you want to sit here?" he asked softly, sweetly.

"Ah..." Flora clasped her hands together, twisting her fingers around each other. "I-if that's okay... with, with you..."

Helia couldn't help but smile. It made him feel a lot better to know she was so shy and nervous around him, seeing as he'd liked her for a couple of months now. He was pretty sure the way she was acting was a big indicator that she liked him as well. "Of course, Flora. You didn't even really have to ask. Go ahead and sit," he reassured her.

Flora risked a glance at her two best friends, and she found both of them watching her and Helia intently. Stella flashed a grin and winked, whereas Bloom grinned cheesily and gave a thumbs-up. Flora smiled softly and quietly sat down next to Helia.

Bloom and Stella shared a look, grinning. It was high time Flora take action with the Helia boy. According to Nicolas, there had been something between Flora and Helia, from what he'd seen in their art class, and it had been there for a while, especially on her part.

"You know, some of us would like to get home this century," Riven growled, and Bloom picked up a random box of candy Stella had brought and chucked it at him, hitting him on the side of his head.

"You'll go home when you do," Bloom snapped at him. "I have to _live _with this," she sighed, massaging her temple.

Riven grumbled something completely unintelligible and ventured an involuntary glance at Musa. She was looking at him with a knowing smirk, and he scowled (at her and himself). This was ridiculous. Yes, his sister needed some guy in her life, but he'd been in a relationship recently that had left its mark a bit too well. He'd decided then that he wasn't going to let any girl get near him that way again, and he sure as hell wasn't going near his ex.

He was okay with physical relationships, but the attraction he felt for the pig-tailed girl bothered him. He couldn't act on it and couldn't get the edge off without upsetting his sister. Girls like Musa didn't go for the no-strings-attached physical relationship he was wanting. She would want some emotions thrown in there before anything could happen, and he just couldn't do that. Emotions were dangerous for a guy like him in a relationship with a girl like her. She'd probably find another interesting toy and dump him on his ass.

Musa blinked as Riven glared at her, and she opted to just stare back at him. She didn't know exactly what his problem was, but for some reason he didn't like her. Why she cared he didn't was yet another mystery, one she didn't want to look into. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked away from Riven, annoyed for thinking he'd been cute a moment ago when he'd been hit in the head with a box of Junior Mints.

"Are you friends with Bloom?" Savannah's voice pulled Musa from her thoughts, and the pig-tailed girl looked down at her younger cousin. Since Savannah was looking at her, Musa was quite sure the question had been directed to her.

"Uhm, you could say that, though we don't really know each other all that well. Of course, we'll probably become really good friends. She's cool," Musa answered.

"Yeah, I like her," Savannah readily agreed, smiling.

"She's a lot nicer than Diaspro, which is weird since she's seemingly willing to be friends with your brother," Musa replied, joking.

Savannah shook her head. "But Sky and his friends are some of the nicest people I know."

"Makes one wonder how Diaspro fits in," Musa sighed, laughing as she received a glare over the strawberry-blonde's head from Sky.

"I've had this discussion with you and my sister more times than I have with the guys, so I am not going to explain again since it would be futile," Sky frowned at the two females. "Besides, it's not like the two of you have to be around her. You aren't subjected to foll—_Christ!_" Sky reached up to caress the now-tender skin on the side of his head.

Bloom was suddenly behind the trio, standing behind the couch. She was trying to contain her giggles and was failing miserably. "I'm so sorry," she managed to say during a moment of lapse in her laughter. "I wasn't aiming at you, really. I wanted them to go over your head and land on the floor." She was able to calm herself long enough to explain and then worry over him slightly since no one else was going to. "Are you okay? I don't think it could've hurt _that _badly, but..." she trailed off as she swatted his hand from his head so she could see if it had done any real damage. She heard Sky's sound of pain and felt him flinch away from it. "Oh, you're a baby. It's not even going to swell." She was past worrying now, and she scowled at him as she picked up her two-pound bag of Twizzlers off the cushion behind him.

The redhead then moved around the couch to sit on the ground in the exact same spot she had been in before. Of course, now it was a bit odd because Sky was sitting on the couch directly behind her, and she was bound to get comfortable and le—a sudden chill caused her to jerk up, and Musa exclaimed, "I knew I wasn't imagining that earlier!"

"Imagining what?" Stella inquired as she came over with several selections of candies and popcorn. "Brandon, could you go grab the drinks?" she added as a side note. Brandon didn't waste any time getting up to do her bidding.

"Bloom... twitched," Musa responded.

"The cold chills," Flora nodded, a smile in her voice.

"Oh, yeah! She does that every hour, on the dot. Even in her sleep," Stella stated matter-of-factly.

"And you know this, how?" Sky questioned, sounding intrigued.

"Okay, I have cold chills. It's not that weird," Bloom muttered, an embarrassed blush creeping up her neck as she got up. "Why isn't that move playing?" she snapped.

"Oh, there's the spitfire," Brandon announced.

Bloom grabbed a box of Butterfinger Minis and chucked them at Brandon, wanting to hurt him. "I'll show you spitfire! Check on the DVD. It's right next to the drinks."

"You're hostile! Man!" Brandon exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"It's not my fault you guys pushed me to my limit. Check the DVD," Bloom ordered.

"This is where that family resemblance to Riven comes in, isn't it?" Sky teased, grinning. Bloom shifted her glare to him but couldn't keep her anger long with his grinning, and it didn't help that he dispelled the tension by winking. She crossed her arms and huffed, looking up at Brandon.

"The DVD has now been told to play," Brandon replied, and a sigh of relief sounded through the room.

Sky felt a fraction better now than he had when Bloom had been fretting over hitting him because he had felt a rush of pleasure from the fact that she was touching him, which had been absurd. However, since he'd been able to control himself enough and make her more flustered than angry, he was feeling rather smug.

That smugness didn't last long.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, annoying Ken, and choose your candy," Stella snapped, and Bloom giggled as she sat down.

Sky grumbled and took a box of M&M's. He frowned as Stella set a bowl of popcorn down in Bloom's lap with a conspiratorial smile, one the redhead returned.

"Here, dude. It's Coca-Cola," Brandon's voice interrupted Sky's musings as to what Bloom and Stella could be grinning like a Cheshire Cat about.

"No! The _Pepsi_ is for the guys!" Stella exclaimed, and Bloom burst out laughing, after which Flora followed suit. Stella huffed, obviously not seeing the humor the two girls found.

"Stell, it doesn't really matter, I promise," Bloom told her blonde friend.

"But—" Stella started to protest.

"I said that over... I don't even know how many years ago. She _still_ believes it?" Riven spoke, choking on the Junior Mints he'd decided to eat.

"Yes, Riv. I told you not to tell that to her because I knew she'd start watching to see if it was true," Bloom sighed, massaging her temple. "And she found enough evidence to back it up. She was a kid when you said it. We were all impressionable at that age."

"What happened?" Sky queried, and Bloom heaved a sigh.

"I told her that girls were the only ones allowed to drink Coke while boys were the only ones allowed to drink Pepsi. She believed me for a long time, obviously," Riven muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed that his lie had gone on for so long.

"In short, he was just being his mean, asshole of a boy self," Bloom paraphrased, leaning back against Sky's legs unconsciously.

"You sound like he did that to you before," Sky told the redhead, a wealth of amusement in his voice. His answer was a handful of popcorn thrown in his face.

"Shush. The movie's starting," Bloom chastised, taking a bottle of Coke from Brandon, who decided to just pass the bag along so that he could watch the movie in peace.

Sky wasn't going to get that peace because his mind tended to concentrate on the fact that Bloom was leaning back against his legs over the words sounding from the movie. He glanced down at the redhead every few minutes. His hand twitched when she adjusted her back's position and her red locks spread out over his knees and even his right hand (his left was on his sister's shoulder). He resisted the random urge to thread his fingers through her hair and gritted his teeth. He knew he could mention what she had done, but he didn't really want Bloom to move. There were those contradicting emotions again.

Somewhere in the middle of the movie, Tecna spoke up, "Bloom, how are we going to do so many sets?"

"Well, we're planning on having two intermissions so that we can arrange specific sets, but mostly we'll have the same background and just maneuver the stuff with the lights off. It won't be exactly like the movie but it will be close," Bloom answered.

Tecna nodded. "Alright. I was just checking because this would be difficult to do with just one intermission," Tecna explained.

Bloom simply nodded her agreement since she didn't want to continue talking, as the characters were beginning to speak once more.

Sky realized exactly what Bloom had meant about the weird physical attraction between Seaweed and Penny. It was palpable and so easily understood his seven-year-old sister even knew what was happening, which was kind of awkward and, well, bad. He wasn't so sure he wanted his sister to know what physical attraction was, and he definitely didn't want her to see it in action. She was too young to be so knowledgeable about the teenage mind and the hormones that overrode _almost _all, if not _all_, natural thought process.

Sky also began to notice what Bloom had been saying about Penny's mother being all religious, and he even caught some very hypocritical points. The whole musical seemed rather ridiculous but was also hilarious, so Sky was glad that _Hairspray_ had been the choice that year.

There was a point in the movie when Bloom got up (she'd already had her cold chill, right on the dot) to, Sky assumed, use the restroom. From what he could tell, the movie was about to be over, so he wasn't sure why she had to go that second. He was frowning over that when he looked back at the movie to see Seaweed crawling in through the window to Penny's room, singing all the while. Then, after a short and very odd scene that seemed rather ditzy and pointless, Penny and Seaweed kissed.

And that explained why Bloom had most likely gotten up and left. Sky wondered momentarily just what Ms. Cooper had planned for that – would they be really kissing or stage kissing? – but since he shouldn't be anticipating the former, nor should he be despairing the latter, the blonde decided it was best to file that thought away for a later date.

By the time he had gotten over the initial shock of the first kiss, though, Sky found himself thrown off course yet again as Penny and Seaweed kissed a second time. He was sure Diaspro would be pissed by now, seeing as Bloom had failed to mention the kissing (with good reason, he was sure) so he really hoped the rest of the movie calmed her down. Of course, he was fairly sure nothing good happened for Amber, so Diaspro would either be furious or pouting. He wasn't quite sure which one was the lesser of two evils.

Bloom came back in the room when Tracy was giving instructions to her mother as to what to do for the next day. Sky made himself look back at the playing movie and found his right hand clenching into a fist as Bloom sat back down. She rested back against his legs again, not even thinking of how he might be bothered. She knew he had tensed by the way his knees suddenly felt uncomfortable against her shoulder blades, and she looked up at him over her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yes," Sky gritted out. Bloom blinked in confusion. Was he angry? And if so, why? Since Savannah and Musa were watching them, she didn't ask him and instead chucked a handful of popcorn at him, her turquoise eyes glinting in amusement as she smiled at him. He couldn't stop himself from returning the smile, and he lightly flicked her in the forehead as a response to the popcorn, after which she laughed almost inaudibly before turning back to watch the movie.

The movie was finally nearing the end, so she was hoping to get all the anger, confusion, and awkwardness dealt with as much as possible before they left Sky's... "house."

To be entirely honest, Bloom was preparing herself for Diaspro's wrath.

She had been dreading the musical ever since she'd been made Penny Pingleton and had then found out Sky was Seaweed, simply because she didn't want to be forced into the situation she was in now. It had been bad enough for her that she had remembered she was going to be kissing Sky at least once, but according to Stella's fingers when she had come back from the bathroom, Bloom had missed two kisses. And with what was happening on the screen, with all the people preoccupied by Tracy and Link while Penny and Seaweed started singing off to the side, Bloom had a sense of foreboding that there would be yet another one.

And she was right; she found that out roughly a minute later when the scene switched to Prudy, Penny's mother, watching the _Miss Hairspray Pageant_. Prudy looked up when she heard her daughter's voice and then was "lucky" enough to get to see her daughter kiss Seaweed on public television. While Prudy made some noises that resembled sobbing, Penny found out that the show was being telecasted live, and she froze like a deer in headlights before rushing off to the side of the stage.

Bloom found all this to be very awkward (as she was leaning against the knees of the guy she had to kiss), but she didn't betray that as she started chewing on a Twizzler. It was embarrassing, too, but there wasn't anything she could do. It was actually going to become a lot worse since Ms. Cooper would more than likely find no benefit in them stage kissing. Of course, Bloom could attempt a protest, but the likelihood of that actually working was very low. Several parents would be shocked, but Ms. Cooper obviously didn't care much for protocol, especially if she could get away with it.

It also didn't help that the woman had been working to set Bloom up with a guy since the beginning of the year. Weird, yes, but that was just Ms. Cooper.

A sigh of relief escaped Bloom as the movie finally ended with Tracy and Link kissing, and with, of course, the happy ending of _The Corny Collins Show_ being integrated because Seaweed's sister, Inez Stubbs, had won the title for Miss Hairspray.

All was silent, except for the music playing during the credits, so Bloom chose to speak up. "So... that was _Hairspray_. I obviously forgot some stuff that happened," she explained hesitantly.

"Obviously," snapped Diaspro, her expression livid. "Isn't it just a mere coincidence you happened to forget you would be kissing my boyfriend?"

Bloom's turquoise eyes flashed in anger, and the redhead stood, making sure to hold Diaspro's gaze. "I neglected to mention such a thing for two reasons. One: I only remembered _one _kissing scene, so I didn't think it would be all that important. Sue me," Bloom hissed. "Two: I knew you would react like this. Personally, I think those are two good reasons."

"Well, _I_ don't."

Bloom was itching to slap the girl across the face. She really was. Several people obviously noticed their little argument could easily get out of hand, and everyone was silent as they watched the girls.

Diaspro stood slowly and continued, "In fact, it seems to be a bit cowardly to me."

"Like you wouldn't do the same thing?" the redhead snarled, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You're such a hypocrite! You act all high and mighty when you're not. The only reason you're popular in the school is because you'd be a nice, quick lay for half the male population. Oh, and you're _rich_. Can't leave _that _one out." She risked a glance at Sky to see if the barb had pricked him as well (she wasn't aiming it at him, but it could be taken that way) and had to keep from telling him that it wasn't directed at him since Diaspro would only get worse. Sky had flinched, noticeably, and she wouldn't be surprised if he didn't speak to her the rest of the time she was at his house.

"_I'm_ a hypocrite? Have you taken a look at your friends recently? Isn't at least one of them rich and popular?" Diaspro's voice was cool now, and Bloom struggled to match it.

"Actually, it goes to show how flexible I am with my friends. If you weren't such a—" Bloom quickly cut herself off as she remembered Savannah was in the room. She ground her teeth together and then licked her lips to buy a few extra seconds to become more composed. "To put it simply, if the personality traits you portray were different, I probably could've been your friend."

Diaspro laughed coldly. "And why would I associate with you, anyway?"

"That right there is what I'm talking about," Bloom answered, her voice considerably flat. Diaspro didn't speak. "That's the difference between the two of us. I actually accept your boyfriend's friends and family, unlike you, who even only likes her boyfriend because he's rich, popular, and easy for you to control."

This time, Diaspro's eyes flickered angrily as she glanced at Sky, whose mouth was set grimly as he flinched at the truth in all of Bloom's words.

"That is absurd! Sky has many other qualities that are appealing, especially how compassionate he is!" Diaspro exclaimed heatedly as her face flushed in something akin to embarrassment.

For some reason, that statement brought Bloom out of her defensive mode, and she frowned at herself. In her last attack at Diaspro, she had inadvertently attacked Sky, a feat she was definitely not proud of. She was very tempted to ask Diaspro to name some of Sky's appealing traits, but she didn't want to inflict more pain on the blonde boy.

"So... I think we should go home now. It's getting late," Stella observed a few minutes later. There were various expressions of agreement while Bloom nodded silently.

It didn't take long for the group to gather up their items and get to the front doors. Sky was formally fare welling everyone who was left (Diaspro had been the first to leave after a fairly long and disturbing make-out scene for the rest of the group to see), excluding Musa since she was staying at his place.

Bloom was (not surprisingly) the last one out the door, and she stopped in front of Sky, though he only said a brief goodbye. The redhead frowned and either ignored or didn't notice his discomfort as she leaned forward. He noticed subconsciously that she smelled like cherries with a hint of something else, and he inhaled the scent deeply while he could, not realizing what he was doing because he was trying to focus on what she was whispering over the feel of her lips lightly grazing his ear.

"I'm sorry, Sky. I really wasn't thinking. None of that was meant as a jab at you. Really, I am sorry." She then moved back quickly, called her goodbye to Musa, hugged Savannah, and jogged out the front door, leaving Sky dumbfounded.

"What was that all about?" Musa questioned, genuinely confused.

Sky frowned, furrowing his brow as he watched the redhead run to Riven's car. "I... I don't know." He would have confided in Musa since she _was _a girl and probably would have understood what the hell was going through Bloom's mind, but he didn't entirely want to. He was afraid of what Musa would say, and he actually just wanted to hear the real explanation from the horse's mouth. He thought that she had to like him at least a little bit to apologize specifically to him, though.

Girls were so confusing.

"Sky?" Musa queried.

"Sorry, just thinking." He sighed, shaking his head. "Let's turn in, shall we?" He bent over and scooped Savannah up, smiling as she giggled. As Musa turned to head off to another room (probably the kitchen) on the first floor, Sky started up the stairs with Savannah.

"Sky?"

"Hm?" He looked down at the strawberry-blonde with his eyes.

"I like her."

Sky chuckled, nodding. He wasn't going to pretend he didn't know who his little sister was talking about. "I know." He sighed softly. _'I like her, too.'_

* * *

**Can we say "aww" for Sky and Savannah? :] Aren't they cuties? I love them. Btw, this originally had a horrible ending. Like, I couldn't get it right, but when I typed it up, it just came to me. I feel embarrassed by the original now. And I tried to get a little bit from everyone, but Stella and Brandon's views just weren't going to cut it in this chapter. But you'll get that in Chapter Eight. And all those people who want TnT: Chapter Nine for you! Flora and Helia are the main ones in the next one. :) And to let you guys know: Chapter Nine is special. At least, what day it is is special. Lol.**** I, personally, can't wait for Chapter Ten, but none of you know what's happening in it. I mean, you'll find out later, but... that's later. XDD **_You are so cruel to them. _**And you're cruel to me. **_Only when you need it. ^.^ _**True. **_But really, you didn't have to taunt them with it. _**Maybe they'll get the chance to figure it out. ****Like, in the next chapter. Assuming they get the quote from the right place. I'll give them a hint. ^-^ **_A__ hint? -.- _**Yes. As in: ONE FREAKIN' HINT! **_Okay. Whatever. (Do you guys see what I have to deal with? -.-;) _**I love you, too, Sarah. -_- **_Thanks. :D_

_**Until next time!**_

_**~-=+The Dynamic Duo+=-~**_

_She makes it sound like we're some crappy cartoon. -.- I mean, really, Erica! _**LET'S GO! WE HAVE FOOD AND TV SHOWS! **_Wait. Say our line. _**What li-? OH! ^^ "Wear a jacket." **_"You wear a jacket." **XDDD Toodleoo! **Byes. ^.^ _**For real this time. Lol.****  
**


	6. Girl Likes Boy, and Boy Likes Girl

_**Disclaimer: We don't own **_Winx Club_**, but we do own Andrew! ******__H_e may sound like Andy, but he isn't. XDD _Only you, Erica. Only you. -Sighs.-_

_Guess what, guys! I'm here two weeks in a row! :) _**Oh, yeah! Can we hear an "AWESOME" out there? :D I mean, I even updated on time, too. WHOO!**

**But two things: One- Go to my profile and click the link at the top. It's going to have "The Chiwambo Song" written beside it. Listen to it and tell me how catchy that song is. XD  
Two- THEY HAVE WINX CLUB MUSIC ON iTunes NOW! I bought it all! XDDD**

**_But, anyway, let the story continue~_ ^o^**

* * *

Chapter vi: Girl Likes Boy, and Boy Likes Girl

**Two and a Half Weeks Later**

There was a fairly long and awkward silence hovering around the two people in the back of the art room. Emerald green met dark gray, the former struggling not to avert. Suddenly, laughter sounded, and the boy with dark gray eyes put his hand up. "I apologize, Flora. That line slipped my thoughts."

Flora smiled, slightly bashfully, and shook her head. "No problem. We haven't had much time to work on that scene. Maybe we should let you look over it a bit more. I mean, we still have a long time before the actual production, so..."

Helia smiled to himself as Flora trailed off beneath his gaze. Though she was a bit more comfortable with him than she had been, she still couldn't stand to be under his scrutiny. He'd tried not to, but she was so expressive when she spoke. Her face was like a window to her feelings.

"Oh, are you doing anything this evening?" Helia inquired suddenly. Flora seemed to think about it before she shook her head, and then he spoke up so she couldn't. "Do you think we could work on some of the other parts, then? Like the lyrics and the choreography?"

Flora blinked, her face showing her surprise, and Helia waited for his implications to fully sink in. He hoped she wouldn't deny him with some "plans" she had "forgotten about." Not that Flora would mean anything by it other than trying to avoid an awkward encounter with him – he still fancied she had a crush on him – but it wasn't like he would enjoy being rejected. He did have a bit of pride so it was only natural he would hate to be on the receiving end of rejection from the girl he actually really liked.

"Uhm, sure. Yeah, we can do that." Flora smiled shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Relief crashed over Helia, and he smiled at the brunette girl before he continued to make the plans more concrete. "Would you prefer to practice at your house?"

Flora shrugged, and Helia just looked at her, waiting. Her face flushed, and she murmured, "What?" When all Helia did was simply continue looking at her, she sighed. "Yeah, I guess I would feel more comfortable there."

"And would 6:45 be okay with you? I have something important I have to tend to right after rehearsal, and that would be the earliest I could get there," Helia explained.

She nodded. "Absolutely. 6:45 it is."

"Great." There was a short silence in which Flora turned away first, blushing. Helia wanted to comment, but she was saved by the bell. They both gathered up their stuff and headed out of the room at the same time, her leaving before him. "See you at rehearsal, Flora," Helia called as they parted ways in the hallway.

Flora smiled to herself and was humming by the time she reached her next class. "Well, someone's happy," came Tecna's voice, and the brunette girl shrugged, feeling a blush coming on.

"Oooh, spill!" Stella exclaimed, circling her friend with Tecna and Bloom's assistance.

"It's nothing," Flora protested.

"Right. If Helia coming to your house to practice music and dancing qualifies as 'nothing,' there's a problem," Nicolas retorted.

"What on earth are you doing in here, Nick?" Bloom queried, her brows rising as her focus changed momentarily.

"I have something to give you. And before all your friends jump on it, it's not from me or any other guy you may want it to be. Nor is it from Diaspro," Nicolas answered, heading off any curiosity the group may have. "But I do need to talk to you after school. I'll only take up five minutes at the most."

Bloom frowned, pretending it was a problem. "I don't know if I can spare five minutes, Nick. I mean, I'm a busy girl. I have so much to do with schoolwork and the musical..." The only thing that gave her away was the teasing glint in her eyes.

Nicolas scowled playfully. "Then I guess I'll have to make it up to you. But I need to go now, or I'll be late for class." The dirty blonde boy winked and smiled before he left quickly.

"I think Nicolas likes you," Stella observed.

"He doesn't even know me. Besides, I'm pretty sure he's just being friendly. Musa said he doesn't know exactly how to treat girls like friends only. He can't distinguish between the two," Bloom defended, feeling heat creep up her neck.

"He's not treating any of us like that. He likes you. And before you complain again, he's had a little over three weeks of rehearsals to get to know you, so..." Stella retorted smugly, causing Bloom to scowl. The blonde perked up suddenly. "Maybe he wants to ask you on a date! Would you go? Oh, you have to!"

"Stella, I think you're jumping to conclusions. We don't know what Nicolas wants to talk to Bloom about," Flora reprimanded softly.

"I know, I know, but I really think he likes her," Stella repeated. She really could be stubborn.

"Why don't we focus on Flora and Helia since they actually have a date tonight?" Bloom tried to change the subject, successfully.

"I-it's not a date!" Flora sputtered.

"It's a semblance of one," Bloom contradicted.

"I have to agree with Bloom on this. It's obvious you and Helia like each other, and now he's asked to come to your house to rehearse music. It's a perfect excuse, and it'll just be the two of you," Tecna added.

"What makes you think he asked?" Flora queried, knowing that hadn't been said.

"Because you're too shy to ask him, Flora," Stella answered, grinning. Flora had no response to this, which deemed the other three the victors.

At least for that one area. She had another comment.

"Besides, it's at 6:45, and my mother and Rose should be home, so we won't be alone," Flora retorted.

Stella sighed, shaking her head. Flora seemed insane sometimes. "Flora, if you think your mom and sister won't give the two of you a fairly wide berth so you can be alone, you've got another thing coming. They trust you, and you're sixteen. You need a boyfriend. I'm sure they'll be ecstatic to see Helia."

Flora stared at her friend, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

"Yes, Flora, Stella's correct. Your chances are quite high," Tecna agreed.

"Guys, do we really have to discuss this?" Flora groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Yes!" Stella exclaimed.

"No, we don't. I'm sure our substitute would appreciate us doing the work and being quiet," Bloom supported her blushing friend, ushering Stella and Tecna to their seats.

"Thank you so much, Bloom," Flora breathed in relief, heading off to her own seat while Tecna and Stella grumbled but obeyed Bloom's ushering.

The redhead sat down at her desk and unfolded the piece of paper Nicolas had given her. The writing was fairly large and was in block style, and she smiled as she found out who it was from. Pulling out a sheet of loose-leaf paper, she started writing her response to the note, shaking her head incredulously as she did.

* * *

"Alright, now before everyone leaves, I need you to get these papers. They'll tell you your dance partners for all the scenes we need them. Once you get one, you are free to go," Ms. Cooper announced, gesturing to the stacks of papers on the desk in front of her. Many students swarmed her, though the usual group of eight stayed in the back (this excluded Musa and Sky since one had other friends and one had an "owner").

Musa was one of the first people to get a sheet and head to that group of eight, though. She seemed... angry, for some reason. Thrusting the paper at them, she hissed, mainly at Bloom, "Did you know about this?"

Bloom blinked and took the paper. She quickly found Musa's name, which was connected to... Riven's. "Uhm, why would I have known?" Bloom questioned.

"Because you're Ms. Cooper's little pet! You know every decision she makes!" Musa snapped.

Bloom was a bit shocked at this outburst (and the fact that Musa was right – she had helped Ms. Cooper). "Well, sorry, Muse. Besides, what's wrong with Riven being your partner? I mean, he won't flirt or touch you or anything like someone else would."

"She's right, you know. It could have been Jared," Brandon agreed, nodding.

Musa paused, then complained, "But it's Riven."

Riven spoke up, sarcastically, "Thanks."

"Musa, Riven is a perfect partner. I don't know why you're so angry," Flora sighed.

"Oh, come on! Jared could at least dance!" Musa retorted.

"Actually, Riven was forced to take dance for a couple of years about three or four years back. He's pretty quick at learning new moves, too," Bloom contradicted.

"Well, I know Jared better."

Bloom rolled her eyes. "And now you'll get to know Riven. Face it: you're stuck, Muse."

"I love how she's the only one who's stuck," Riven muttered.

"You're stuck, too, Riv, so shut up and get over it," Bloom told him through gritted teeth. "Happy now?" Riven didn't answer, and there was a long moment of silence before most of the group split off and headed to the desk to get the papers.

Flora was one of those, and she glanced at her watch, knowing she had to be home soon. "Hey, guys, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Stella turned around and gave the brunette a look before saying, "We expect details tomorrow."

"Details?" Riven queried, intrigued for one of the first times. Stella usually only wanted information about guys, so he would normally ignore it all, but this was Flora she was speaking to. All in all, it was weird, and that had caught Riven's attention.

"Yes. Helia's going to Flora's around seven tonight," Stella answered excitedly, and Riven quirked a brow at Flora.

"Really?" he asked, smirking as the girl blushed darkly and promptly ignored him.

"Like I said, I'm leaving. I'll see you when we get to school in the morning," Flora reiterated, waving at the group. "Bye."

Though it seemed wrong, Flora released a sigh of relief as she walked across the school's courtyard to get to her car. She loved her friends, but there was only so much she could take at once. She knew Stella was going to grill her for a step-by-step, detailed explanation of the night the next day, which she needed a rest from for a little bit. Yes, even Flora had to have a break from her friends at some point.

She had almost made it to her car before she heard her name being called. Turning around, she blinked as she saw the black-haired boy she barely knew heading toward her. "Hey, Andrew... what do you need?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping you could help me with something. You see... I like this girl, but everyone keeps telling me she likes someone else or that she wouldn't ever think about going on a simple date with me. I was wondering if you knew a way I could tell without making a fool of myself."

Flora blinked, startled. Two guys in one day? Really? "No, I don't, sorry. I would advise you to trust what your friends say, though, especially if they are sure she likes someone else." She paused, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. "I'm sorry, Andrew, but I really need to go. I have to help my mom make dinner, and I have a friend coming over later. Just listen to your friends and then make your decision about that girl. Bye."

She hated brushing everyone off like she was, but she really did have a lot to do before Helia came over. It was getting ridiculous. Andrew's smile faltered slightly as he said, "Oh, right, sorry, Flora. Didn't mean to hold you over. Bye." As he sulked and headed away to his own vehicle, Flora popped the trunk of her car and tossed her backpack in it. After shutting the trunk and getting into her car, she placed her purse and the sheet of paper onto the passenger's seat.

Then she rested her head on the steering wheel. It had been a really long time since she'd felt the need to break something, so she wasn't surprised she wanted to now. However, it wouldn't be good for her to drive like this, so she was trying to calm down until she got to her house where she could easily get rid of the stress.

After a long moment of deep-breathing, Flora felt she was capable of driving home safely, which was why she sat back, put the key in the ignition, and started the car. Shifting the gears, she maneuvered out of the space, and then switched the gear into drive before she started out of the parking lot.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, she was pulling into her spot in their two-car garage. Grabbing her purse and the paper out of the front seat, she got out of the car, keys in hand, and popped the trunk again to get her bag out. She shut it and then headed inside the house. Once inside, she was almost immediately attacked by her younger sister. Smiling down at the young brunette girl, Flora caressed the back of the girl's head. "Good evening, Rose. I trust your day at school was nice?"

Rose's head bobbed eagerly with a nod. "Uh-huh! We played a quiet game, and I won, so I got to choose two candies I wanted and got to play on the playground longer than the other kids!"

"That's great, sweetie! I'm glad you had a good day," Flora told her sister sincerely. "Now, I need to go set my bag down and then help mom with dinner. You can finish telling me all about your day after that; sound good?"

Rose nodded and skipped off into the living room where she was watching some cartoon.

Shaking her head, Flora continued through the house until she found a set of stairs, which she promptly headed up and then turned to the right at the landing. She headed all the way down the hallway and into the room directly in front of her. She set her bags at the foot of the bed, then snatched up a pillow, smothered her face in it, and screamed. It lasted about thirty seconds, and then she threw the pillow at the wall on the opposite side of the room. She felt marginally better, and that would have to do. She had neither the time nor the means of getting it all out. She knew she could stay composed as she was, though, so that was all that mattered.

Releasing yet another sigh, Flora headed back downstairs and retraced her steps before crossing through the living room and into the kitchen, where she spotted her mother, poised at the stove with a wooden spoon in her hand as she mixed up something. "Good evening, mom," Flora greeted lightly. As the brunette woman looked at her daughter with large, dark brown eyes, Flora smiled.

"Flora, sweetie, I didn't hear you come in. How was school?" Ms. Drake inquired.

"It was fine. A lot of people are teasing me about this guy... And I think I made it worse by agreeing with him that we needed to practice the choreography and lyrics for the musical. He's supposed to be coming over at 6:45," Flora answered so that she could get that over with.

"Oh?" Ms. Drake sounded interested. She gestured to the space on the counter next to her where several vegetables sat, a chopping knife in front of them. "Chop those." She then continued as Flora obeyed, "This boy; you like him?

Flora sighed, blushing as she chopped. "Well, yeah. That's why they're all teasing me."

"Does he like you?" This was why Flora liked her mother so much. The questions were asked without any inflection, and it was all taken one step at a time.

"I think so..." Flora murmured, pausing her chopping. "I mean, he was the one who suggested the extra practice." She continued chopping as she added, "And I never see him really talk to anyone, but he talks to me all the time."

Ms. Drake hummed a moment, showing she was thinking. There was a brief silence that felt natural rather than awkward. "Do others think he likes you?" she finally asked.

Flora nodded. "Yeah, a lot of people have said that to me."

"That's why they tease you." This was a statement. Flora hummed her approval of the assumption. "Hm. Guess I'll get to meet him tonight." And that conversation was finished.

* * *

Flora was washing dishes when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Rose's voice sounded over the spray of water, though it was pointless since their mother was out back, tending to the garden, while Flora was cleaning dishes.

Suddenly, Flora started, and she whirled around to look at the time on the oven.

6:45. Right on the money.

She heard Rose's distinct chattering as the girl got closer to the living room again. Flora felt horrible because she had completely gotten sidetracked and had actually forgotten he was coming. Of course, she still had to finish the dishes, so she hoped Rose would keep him preoccupied without bothering him.

Flora found out that she didn't have to worry the moment she entered the living room a few minutes later to see Helia sitting beside the girl, both of them laughing at something that had happened on the show. Flora smiled, watching the two for a moment. It would have been longer had Helia not looked over and spotted her. He stood and started toward her, but she had started toward him as well, so they met somewhere in the middle.

"Hey. Sorry that I didn't answer the door, but I was cleaning dishes."

"I know; Rose told me. And don't worry. That's one of my favorite _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ episodes. Your little sister's got good taste," Helia commented, grinning. "So, where are we going to do this?"

Flora hadn't actually gotten around to that bit of planning, so she was at a loss before Rose spoke up. "You can use this room. My show's off, and I was planning to go to the neighbor's house." The little girl got up, smiling at Helia. "It was nice meeting you, Helia."

"It was nice to meet you, too, Rose," Helia told the little girl. "Maybe next time I can come earlier, and we can watch a full episode."

"That sounds great! Bye!" Rose waved, giggling, and left the room.

And now they were alone. Flora shifted nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "So, uhm, where do we want to start?"

Helia smiled at how awkward Flora still seemed. Normally, he would have found it irritating, but with her he just couldn't. There wasn't anything annoying about her. And she had just asked him a question. Right. "Well, I realized that there were only two songs in which we both sang and danced. The rest of them only one of us sings in, or we don't sing at all."

Flora blinked before shrugging. "We can work on those two songs, I guess. And then we can work on the lines again."

"Sounds good to me. So, do you want to do 'Without Love' or 'You Can't Stop the Beat' first?" Helia inquired.

"Don't both of those have more than just the two of us, though?" Flora asked, frowning as she blinked confusedly.

"Yes, but almost all the songs do, and we can learn how long we have to pause before we sing again," Helia answered.

"Oh. That makes sense," Flora agreed, nodding. She then recalled his previous question. "And I guess we'll go in order, so 'Without Love' first."

"_'As you wish.'_**(1)**" Helia smiled and winked.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay, Helia?" Flora fretted, biting down on her lower lip. Helia nodded, trying to ignore the throbbing in his head. "I'm so sorry..."

"Flora, that has to be at least the twentieth time you've apologized," Helia told her, chuckling. "I'm okay. I promise. And it's not your fault. We both should've noticed it was a hazard."

"I know, but you wouldn't have fallen at all if I hadn't messed up that step," Flora murmured. She felt horrible again.

"I've learned life will always have its way of getting something to happen. If not tonight, then it would've been tomorrow," Helia answered, struggling to keep his vision clear as he sat up. He hated sitting down with her around, so lying down was out of the question.

"Flora, sweetie, what's going on in here?"

Helia looked up to see a woman with the same hair color and face (minus the shape and color of the eyes) as Flora. Definitely her mother.

Flora winced. "We were practicing some of the choreography, and I messed up, causing Helia to trip and hit his head on the coffee table."

Ms. Drake smiled, shaking her head. "You should've moved the table, honey."

Flora sighed, "I know."

Ms. Drake walked up to the couch, leaning over slightly as she said, "Let me take a look at the damage." She pulled the boy's hand down, taking the hand towel and ice pack away from him as she lightly probed the tender area with her fingers. "Go get me a flashlight from the kitchen, will you, Flora?"

If Helia hadn't been watching the brunette teen, he never would have known she'd gone to do her mother's bidding. Wincing as the woman grazed a tender spot on his head a bit too hard, he asked, "Are you a doctor or something?"

Ms. Drake laughed, though there was a sad undertone to it. "Oh, dear me, no. My husband was, and I picked up a lot of helpful skills from him before he died. Flora used to get hurt all the time."

Helia froze. That was an unexpected piece of information to have dropped in his lap. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Ms. Drake smiled faintly, nostalgically. She usually hated to hear those words, but she could see this boy meant it by the way he held her gaze and by the expression in his gray eyes. "It happened several years ago. It changed Flora a lot, but she's definitely much better now. Her friends have helped her immensely."

Helia couldn't help but smile at the thought of Flora around her two old and two new friends. She always looked so happy, and there was just this glow about her that he always wanted to see far more often than he did.

Helia blinked as a light suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he realized Flora was back and had given her mother the flashlight. He wondered if he'd looked like an idiot for a couple of seconds but threw out the idea as Ms. Drake started moving her index finger to one side and then to the other. He followed it obediently with his eyes.

Ms. Drake finally clicked the flashlight off and nodded, satisfied. "You don't seem to have a concussion, but that's one nasty bump. Did you drive here?"

Helia shook his head gingerly. "My uncle brought me."

"Well, I'm going to take you home in about... ten minutes. Flora, in five minutes, I want you to help him to the car. You are not to let him get up until then." Ms. Drake stood again and headed out of the living room.

There was silence for a long minute as Helia studied Flora, feeling as though he'd invaded her right to privacy. Her mother had just dropped that on him so suddenly, and it felt... wrong.

Flora broke the silence first. "Don't look at me like that." Helia blinked and then really looked at her, noticed how guarded she was with her arms folded across her abdomen. He then looked into her emerald green eyes, frowning. "I heard my mom talking. The kitchen's right through that door."

Helia couldn't keep from saying, "I don't feel sorry for you." Then he frowned. "Well, I do, but not the way you think."

"You were giving me the same look everyone else did at the time," Flora protested.

"Guilt?" Helia questioned. "Seems like an odd look for all those people to give."

"Pity," Flora contradicted.

"I was feeling guilty. Because your mom just laid it on me. I would've felt better about it if you had told me since it would have been your choice then. This way sucks," Helia sighed. Flora didn't respond for a moment, and he blurted, "Besides, I know how it feels. I lost both my parents when I was ten." Yeah, that was way too much information.

Flora blinked, her brows furrowing. "I'm sorry." It was spoken so softly, he almost thought he'd imagined her saying it. Almost, but not quite.

"Thanks," he answered, smiling softly at her. She returned the smile before she seemed to realize something and she frowned, walking toward him. "What are you—oh. Five minutes are up?"

"Yes." She held her arm out for him to take, but he pushed it away and pushed himself up. "Helia, my mom told me to help you."

"I'm fine, Flora, really." He started to walk, but she grabbed onto his arm.

"Don't be all macho on me, Helia. I can't stand that." Her face brightened considerably as he chose to use her for support. "Thank you."

"My head started hurting again."

"Wait. Your ice pack." Flora leaned over the back of the couch and grabbed the ice pack and hand towel. Handing them to him, she told him, "Put the ice pack on without the towel covering it for right now." She grinned at him as he obliged. "You listen very well."

"I know not to challenge the wrath of a woman," he teased as they headed down the small hallway to the door to the garage. He watched Flora as she reached up with her free hand to press the button for the garage door to go up. He tried not to balance too much on her as they headed down the steps, but upon reaching the landing, he stumbled over something sticking out beside the steps. The result was him almost making a fool of himself again, but Flora steadied him before he fell. This was definitely one of his most embarrassing hours.

"You okay?" Flora asked, looking up at him worriedly.

"Yeah. All good." He smiled down at her to show he really was fine.

Flora blinked as she felt a blush starting. Why did he have to steal her breath away with a smile? It wasn't fair. It didn't help that she could feel his breath fanning against her face. "Uhm, let me help you into the car. It can be..." Her heart raced as Helia's hand released her arm and instead came up to cup her chin. "Uhm, Helia, what're you...?"

He chuckled, his thumb feathering along her jaw as his other hand (the one holding the ice pack and towel) dropped to his side. God, she was beautiful. He'd give anything to paint her the way she was right now: flushed, nervous, and just a touch frightened mixed with what he believed (and hoped) was anticipation. "I'm going to kiss you." He saw no use in not answering her question, and now he'd warned her, so it was fair.

He watched her eyes widen before he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. He could feel the heat emanating from her face, and he tried not to smile. When she leaned into him, he circled her waist with the arm that had dropped uselessly to his side. And then he felt the rush of pleasure and relief. He'd wanted to do this for weeks, and now, _finally_, he was. As far as he was concerned, it was heaven. As his lips moved gently against hers, he inhaled deeply, catching the scent of strawberries and chocolate**(2)**. It suited Flora so well; he honestly couldn't imagine her having any different scent.

Knowing her mother would be coming out soon, Helia slowly started pulling back, his lips lingering on hers for another moment before he lifted his head. His eyes took in everything: her wide, innocent eyes; her pink lips parted as her breath expelled in soft pants; her face flushed from something other than embarrassment; and the glow he'd always wanted her to have around him, _because_ of him. He smiled down at her, then took a step back.

Flora scrambled to collect her thoughts, and to avoid making a fool out of herself, she turned around, fiddling with the car door and trying to open it. The garage felt way too warm, and she could still feel the heat from Helia's body. She could barely remember to breathe, and probably couldn't have told anyone her name. Though she could definitely tell them Helia's.

She swallowed, wondering if he felt as addled as she did. Probably not, but it made her feel better to think so.

She eventually got the door to open and turned around to tell Helia to get in, but she didn't have to since he easily slipped in. She opened her mouth to say something when he smiled at her. "Sorry. But I got a bit light-headed after that." He winked at her again, and she fought off a blush.

"You two, wrap it up. We need to be going," Ms. Drake announced her arrival as she closed the door to the house.

Flora started but looked back at Helia as she heard his voice. "Good night, Flora. Sleep well."

She smiled cutely at him. "Good night, Helia. Mind the head injury."

"That would have worked better without the wince," Helia advised, grinning. Flora laughed and nodded to show she knew.

"Door," Ms. Drake sighed. "And make sure Rose is in bed for me, will you?"

"Of course, mom. See you tomorrow, Helia." Flora shut the door quietly and then walked back up the steps to her house, pausing as she watched them pull out of the garage. When she stepped inside and closed the door, she smiled widely, bringing her hand up to touch her lips.

Her first kiss. It hadn't been in the most romantic place or anything (she'd never planned it in a garage) nor was it following a romantic evening (she'd even tripped him on accident and caused his head to slam into a table), but it had been perfect, anyway.

The fact that she now knew for sure how Helia felt was just a bonus.

Giggling, Flora headed further into the house, heading toward Rose's room. _'And I can't wait to tell the girls.'_

* * *

**1- Name that movie and who said it, and I'll tell you your hint for the 10th chapter. ^-^**

**2- Chocolate may seem random to you, but originally it had been cherry blossoms, and I wasn't happy with it. So I asked Sarah, and we obviously got onto a tangent (cream was even suggested) and she was like, **"Hey! Chocolate's a plant! It comes from the cacao**(3)** tree!" **So it became chocolate. Lol.**

**3- "Cacao" is how it's really spelled. I looked it up. XD**

**AND NOW FOR REVIEWS:**

terri gray- **Well, dearest, I plan on finishing the story. No worries there. Just be patient. ;D**

Silver Crown- **Lol. Well, they won't be here for another two chapters, I think. Like, not the next one we post, but the one after that. ^_~ And we're putting a slight twist on them, too. I don't think people give them enough credit.**

laceywinx1009- **Okay, this has been, like, one of my favorite reviews so far. XDD I loved it, and Sarah laughed so hard. Bloom and Sky's kissing scenes will come. Soon. I promise. Just keep reading.**

lulubell1234- **You, I am sending a PM to later. Not now because, well, I don't have the time. Have to get ready. But I wanted to tell you two things: 1- Tecna and Timmy both will be in here more often, I hope. I'm trying to include them, but every time I do, I forget to write about some other character, so it's a lose-lose situation with all this. But there will be a whole chapter for TnT. ;)  
And 2- The quote happened in this chapter, not the last one. So you've still got the chance to find out the amazing info for the 10th chapter.**

**Well, that's it for now, guys! See ya next week.**

**_~-=+The Dynamic Duo+=-~_**


	7. How?

_**Disclamer: **_**"You can't be taking this seriously, Holmes." - Watson  
**_"Yes, as you should." - Holmes  
_**Watson looks at him incredulously.  
**_"This is a matter of professional integrity." He stands. "No girl wants to marry a doctor who can't tell if a man's dead or not!" - Holmes_

**Okay, so I'm updating! On time! Again! I'm on a roll aren't I? :D**

**Anyway, that above is one of our (meaning Sarah and me) favorite parts of **_**Sherlock Holmes**_**. :) It's hilarious. If you haven't seen the movie, I'd advise it. I loved it. Obviously. And it's a lot more funny (to us) if you think of Holmes as Riven, Irene Adler as Musa, Watson (now don't give us hell for this if you disagree) as Sky, and (obviously) Mary as Bloom. We don't exactly **_**look **_**for movies to show as that, but since Sky is really like a mother hen, he just fits Watson. And Holmes... well, if you see the movie, that's an easy one. Lol.**

**That's about all I can think to tell you. Other than the fact that: 1- their school does semesters, but the classes are year-long  
2- The date now is sometime late in January. Or maybe early February. I'll let you know for sure in the next chapter because it's important to know with Savannah's birthday. ;)  
3- The characters who stay the whole time are Bloom, Musa, and Sky...  
4- Be ready for the words "prior plans." Sarah officially hates them because of how many times I said them while planning this chapter out. XDD**

**Anywho! Let the story continue~**

* * *

Chapter vii: How?

By the time Friday came around, everyone was ready for the weekend. Even Bloom, who was lucky to have Sunday off. And at the rate all this was going, she wouldn't even have _that _day to herself. Frowning, she tried hard to listen to what Stella was saying but could only catch the end. "...like, the whole group."

"This 'whole group' you're talking about; who all is it?" Timmy questioned, quirking a brow.

"Oh, you know... me, Bloom, Flora, Tecna, Musa, Brandon, Sky, Helia, you, Riven, Nicolas, and maybe Pete, Jared, Andrew, and Leon," Stella answered, ticking them all off on her fingers.

"What, no Diaspro?" Sky teased them all, earning glares from everyone except Bloom, who stifled a laugh. He smiled to himself. Bloom was the only one who found that even remotely funny, so he tried not to make the joke often, unless she was close enough to hear him mutter it. It wasn't anything new for him to be hanging out with the group, seeing as it had become something of a ritual for them all to gather after rehearsal and talk about where they were going that night or the upcoming planned night. Of course, that happened _after _Diaspro left.

"You got enough people?" Riven grumbled.

"Uhm, I can't go, Stell," Bloom suddenly told them, and everyone stared at her.

"What? Why?" Stella whined.

Bloom shrugged and answered, "I have prior plans."

"I can't go, either," Musa chimed in.

"Oh, come on!" Stella exclaimed.

"Sorry," Musa apologized, though she totally wasn't. Hanging out with both Riven and Jared would be way too much.

"Does anyone else suddenly have plans?" Stella snapped, throwing her arms up.

"I've had plans since Tuesday, thank you very much," Bloom retorted.

"Wasn't that the day you talked to Nick after school?" Tecna asked. Everyone turned to stare at either Bloom or Nicolas.

Nicolas held his hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm hanging with you guys. We don't have plans."

Bloom didn't have a response to them for that since Nicolas already took the opportunity. Actually, all she _did _have a response to was the time. "Crap. Look, guys, I have to go. I'll see you on Monday."

"We may as well go, too, if we're going to get to dinner," Brandon pointed out.

"That is true, very true," Stella agreed, nodding her head emphatically.

Bloom lingered slightly behind the group, hoping to avoid Nicolas, but that obviously wasn't going to happen. The dirty blonde fell back next to her, instead of walking on like she thought he would.

"You don't have to avoid me, you know," Nicolas teased.

"I know," she murmured, shrugging.

"Oh, so you chose to?" he asked, quirking a brow.

"I wouldn't say I _chose_ to. It just... happened," she answered, feeling like an idiot even as she said it.

Nicolas laughed, his eyes glinting. "Of course it did." Involuntarily, Bloom stuck her tongue out at him. He only laughed harder.

"You're so mean. Why did I say yes?" Bloom scowled.

"You couldn't resist me," Nicolas answered with a heart-melting smile (though its full effects were lost on Bloom). Bloom rolled her eyes with a snort but didn't comment as they reached her car.

"Goodbye, Nick," she stated pointedly. He sighed, shaking his head.

"You're not subtle, you know that?" he inquired, crossing his arms.

"That's great, Nick. Seriously, I need to go. And there are people watching us," Bloom muttered, shifting nervously. One of those people was a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy she had taken to flirting with when Diaspro was around, just because she could and wanted to piss the cream blonde off (though it didn't hurt that she had a bit of a crush on him and could often get him to flirt back).

Nicolas frowned and looked over at the group of people he was going to spend his night with. "I guess they are." He then looked back at Bloom. "And okay. I'll see you."

"Have a good night, Nick," Bloom sighed as she smiled sweetly at him.

He was caught off guard by it, and his face flushed slightly before he cleared his throat to speak. "Um... you, too, Bloom," Nicolas returned with his own smile.

"Nick, unless you're asking her on a date, get your ass over here!" Brandon called.

Both Bloom and Nicolas rolled their eyes. "All right. Bye," Nick quickly told her before jogging off.

Bloom shook her head and got in her car. She sat there for a moment, watching her large group of friends, before she decided she really needed to leave. She was already running late.

* * *

"Hey, it's Bloom. Can you let me in?"

There was a moment of silence. "You're early."

The redhead blinked. "I am?"

"Yes." There was a pause. "But you can come on in."

* * *

"Oh, my goodness! You're here!"

Bloom was suddenly jumped on by a strawberry blonde girl, who looked as far away from being eight as Bloom did. She was so small she looked roughly four. That surely had to suck as a second-grader.

"Of course I'm here. I told you I would be," she answered, bending down to tap her on the nose. "And Jeph's carrying your gift. He insisted."

There was a noise of disapproval from the man who came around the corner. "I was not going to let you carry four different boxes."

"You got me gift_s_?" the girl's voice sounded incredulous.

"Of course, silly. It's your birthday." Bloom sounded perplexed.

"I think what Miss Savannah is trying to say is that she only expected one gift, if any," Jephrey explained, grinning.

"Oh. Well, I usually try to get at least two items. I would've gotten you more, but, well, I'm sure you'll be getting a lot of it if we go to the place Ms. Cooper's been contemplating," Bloom told the girl.

Savannah didn't have a response to that, though she did grab onto Bloom's hand and start dragging her up the stairs. Jephrey promptly followed, all the way to Savannah's room. When Bloom saw it, her mouth fell open.

"Holy. Cow," she breathed.

"You like it?" the little girl asked, biting her lower lip.

"Oh, man, I wish I could've had this room when I was younger. It would've been heaven."

Savannah's face brightened immediately. "I know. I love it. Sky got it done for my birthday last year."

Bloom laughed. "Well, I don't think we can top that," she teased.

But it was true. The room looked like it was under the sea, and right out of Savannah's favorite Disney princess movie. It was littered with seaweed and fish and had Flounder and Sebastian painted on a wall. On the ceiling, it showed a night sky from under the water, with what Bloom assumed was a wooden ship (or at least the bottom of it) blocking the view. Over the area where Savannah's bed was located, a smaller version of the palace of Atlantica was perched. The bed inside it was a blue seashell with blue and green covers. It really was amazing.

"So, do you need any help setting up stuff?" Bloom finally asked.

Savannah shook her head. "Nope, everything's set up."

"Then what do you want to do until then?"

Savannah thought for a moment. Then she smiled. "Can you do my hair?"

Bloom nodded, "Absolutely. Just get me some items you want in there."

"Awesome!" the young girl exclaimed. "You're the best!"

Bloom didn't answer. Instead, she just watched the strawberry blonde girl and smiled to herself.

* * *

People started arriving a little over an hour later. The first girl to enter was one Bloom knew. Of course, the girl was surprised to see her there.

"Bloom?" The girl in pigtails stopped short. "What are you doing here?"

Bloom shrugged and answered, "These are my prior plans."

Musa blinked. "I have no comment, except..." She turned to Savannah, "Does Sky know about her being here?"

"He never asked," the eight-year-old replied as she shrugged.

Musa grinned. "Perfect. I'm sure he'll enjoy us taking over his room."

"Huh?" Bloom was definitely lost now.

"You and I will be sleeping in Sky's room. It's my tradition to throw him out of his room during Savannah's parties. He'll be expecting to go to the couch already. This is just an added bonus. He'll probably die because you're sleeping in his bed." Musa sighed happily. "I can't wait to see it."

"Whoa. I wasn't planning on sleeping here. I don't have any pajamas... or anything else I would need, actually," Bloom stated, frowning.

"But... I was hoping you would stay until it was all over. The younger girls were going to dress up as princesses, and I was hoping you and Musa would help us out..." Savannah murmured.

"Sweetie, I would have stayed if I had known, but I don't have any clothes or toiletries," Bloom replied, frowning.

"You could always borrow some of Sky's clothes to sleep in **(1)**," Musa chimed in. "And they always have spare toothbrushes stocked. Anything else you may need could easily be supplied. If we had the time, we could go and get them, but we don't."

"Yeah, it'd be a two-hour trip there and back, without having to get all my stuff gathered." She paused for a moment. "But I guess I could wear some of his clothes, to stay, for Savannah. This would not be happening with, or for, anyone else," Bloom added, giving both Musa and Savannah a look.

"Don't worry. You'll be glad you're staying when you see what's going to happen," Musa advised.

"I sure hope so," Bloom whispered as Savannah hugged her for, like, the fifth time in the past hour and a half. Literally. "So, when's dinner, Savannah? I'm starving."

* * *

Bloom laughed along with Musa and the five seven- and eight-year-olds in the circle with her. They were just finishing their food and had started playing "Truth." This version consisted of being allowed three questions. The person being asked the question could pass two times, but they had to answer the third question, whatever it was. Generally, the questions got harder. With these girls, they didn't.

"Okay, Bloom, it's your turn," Krystal, one of Savannah's four friends, stated, turning to the redhead.

"I'm ready," Bloom answered, nodding.

"So, question one: do you think Sky's cute?" Everyone's attention was suddenly focused on Bloom.

She had decided that maybe she wasn't ready. "Uhm, pass."

Krystal shrugged and asked, "Question two: would you go on a date with Sky?"

Bloom weighed her chances. They couldn't ask the same question twice, and the only other question about Sky that could be asked (that was worse than the previous ones) was if she wanted to marry him, to which she could truthfully answer "no." Thinking the odds were in her favor, Bloom said, "Pass."

Krystal grinned now, obviously having hoped for this. "Okay, then, question three: do you like Sky? As in, enough to be his girlfriend if he'd ask?" She added after Bloom's mouth opened, "And remember, you have to answer this question, and it has to be the truth."

This was just her luck. She _would _get the smart girl to ask her questions.

After a long pause, in which everyone stared at Bloom, waiting with bated breath, there was a response: "Yes." **(2)**

A lot of giggles coursed through the room, as well as an excited gasp from Savannah. The response Bloom was sure would stick with her forever, though, was Musa's. The pig-tailed teen looked over at the redhead and stared, mouth agape. Then, she asked, "How?"

Bloom didn't answer because she didn't expect Musa to understand.

Suddenly, there was a cleared throat and all the attention shifted to Jephrey, who was standing in the doorway. "Miss Savannah, I do not mean to interrupt you, but, according to your schedule, it is time to open presents."

"Presents?" Savannah jumped up, heading to the corner of her room in which all her presents were stacked.

"Open mine last," Musa told her. "Otherwise, we may have problems."

Savannah blinked but shrugged. "Okay. Anyone want theirs first?"

"I guess mine," Tiffany answered, shrugging.

"And then mine," Alice chimed in, grinning.

Savannah started setting the bags in order. After she'd moved three of them, she looked at the other girls, waiting for them to speak up.

"You can open mine next..." Michelle murmured.

"Krystal? Yours after hers?" Savannah asked as she rearranged the gifts.

"Uh, sure."

Savannah sighed in relief and sat down in her desk chair (which was in the shape of a rock; her desk was a treasure chest). She pulled Tiffany's gift into her lap and started pulling the tissue paper out. She grinned as she pulled out a set of nail polish. "Great! We'll use this tomorrow!"

* * *

A make-up kit (Alice), _Little Mermaid _pin set (Michelle), _Precious Moments _Ariel and Sebastian music-playing globe (Krystal), a pair of _Little Mermaid _pajamas, Sebastian and Flounder plushies, Prince Eric figurine (all Bloom), and an Ariel and Eric poster autographed by Jodi Benson and Christopher Daniel Barnes (Musa) later, Bloom and Musa were in the kitchen, making popcorn and getting drinks.

"Hey, Muse—can I call you that?" Bloom started.

"Sure," Musa answered with a shrug.

"All right, thanks." She paused as she pulled the bag of popcorn out of the microwave and put another bag into it while Musa took the popped bag and poured the popcorn into a bowl. "You know that gift you got Savannah?"

"Yes," Musa answered, laughing.

"How?" Bloom asked, her eyes wide.

"I have connections. As does Sky. He got me Belle and Adam and got their voice actors to sign it. He has his moments," Musa replied. "I can hint that you want one, if you'd like. I'm sure he'd jump at the opportunity." She tactfully avoided saying anything about Bloom liking the blonde boy.

"I don't know..." Bloom mumbled with a frown.

"It'll piss off Diaspro, seeing as the closest date is Valentine's Day," Musa sang.

"Okay, I don't think I can pass that up," Bloom confided with a grin.

"I couldn't have, either," Musa agreed. Then she sighed. "I don't understand him, seeing as he can hardly stand her. And everyone he's friends with, and almost everyone he knows, hates her. Makes no sense..." Musa thought aloud. She shrugged as she continued to the refrigerator and started pulling out drinks. "You want Cherry Coke?"

"Sounds great," Bloom assented as she pulled another bag of popcorn from the microwave. As she placed another bag in, she sighed. "How many bags are we making?"

"All six. You and I will eat two bags—one each, obviously—so that leaves four for the other five."

Bloom grinned. "Well, Musa, you know me so well now," the redhead teased.

"No, I just listen to what other who know you tell me about you. It's been a pretty accurate source so far, but I still don't know _you _at all."

There was a moment of silence before they both burst into laughter. "You and I may become very good friends," Bloom told Musa as they finally stopped laughing. "And you're right. You don't know _me_, but at the rate this is going, you should soon."

"Likewise."

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

A sigh of relief escaped the blonde boy as he leaned back against the front door. He was glad to be home, away from the three prospective couples and all the jealous guys. He'd spoken with Riven more than he had all the others because he and the burgundy-haired boy had called a temporary truce so they could actually partially enjoy the night. If that didn't speak volumes, Sky wasn't sure what did.

But now he was home, and it was such a relief. He had a feeling hanging out with seven- and eight-year-olds all night would have been far better than the group he was with. Of course, he _was _used to talking with Bloom when everyone else ignored him, so that could have something to do with it.

Now was not the time to worry about that, though. He had to give his gift to Savannah and at least make an appearance in front of her friends. It was only proper, since he was almost ten years their senior, and since he was the brother of the birthday girl. And that was why he was heading up the stairs and to his sister's room.

When he got there, every little girl's head turned to look at him. There was someone missing, though. "Where's Musa?"

"Sky!" Savannah exclaimed, jumping up and running at him. She jumped, and he caught her as she hugged him. "Musa's downstairs getting drinks and popcorn." She paused and smiled up at him. "Did you have fun tonight?"

Sky sighed. "Actually, I'm wishing I had come home and hung out with you guys. I wound up talking with Riven more than anything, just so we didn't both have the worst night of our lives. And it didn't help that there were quite a few jealous vibes going around."

"I told you to stay here," Savannah giggled.

"Yes, well," Sky answered shortly, setting his little sister down. "I'd agreed to go because I thought someone else would be there..." Though he didn't say who it was, Sky felt every girl in the room knew by the way they grinned at him. "So what's next on your to-do list?"

"We were discussing which movies we wanted to watch. We know they'll be Disney, but we aren't sure which ones," Savanna replied as she resumed her place in the circle.

Sky nodded and headed to the circle, sitting next to his sister as he fished a small, rectangular box out of his jacket. "Don't you want to open your gift first?"

Savannah's eyes lit up as she gasped. "My present?"

"You betcha," Sky assured her.

However, before Savannah could open it, a voice rang out in the room and caused Sky to go rigid. _'Aw, hell.'_

"There's a sixteen-year-old boy **(3)** in my seat."

"Hmm. Seems like little Skyler is living up to his girly name," a second voice added with a laugh.

Bloom and Musa had been both shocked and amused at the sight of Sky in the circle of girls, but the amusement easily took over. They were both grinning in an attempt not to laugh out loud.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Musa, you are just so funny," Sky retorted sarcastically as he looked over his shoulder.

"Thank you," Musa beamed as she sat down in her original spot, passing drinks and the other four bowls of popcorn around the circle.

Bloom walked up to them, sighing as she squeezed into the small space between Musa and Sky. **(4)** The latter looked at her, confused, as she made herself comfortable. In that process, she successfully made Sky _un_comfortable because her thigh was pressed right against his, as well as the entire left side of her profile.

"So, what're you doing here?" Sky finally asked as she stopped shifting.

"These are my prior plans," Bloom answered easily as she grinned at him. She smacked Musa's arm, confirming that the girl had mouthed the words since Musa simply snickered.

"How did you know about this?" Sky continued his questionnaire.

"Your sister and I corresponded through our owl named Nicolas," Bloom replied, shrugging.

Sky looked over at Savannah now. "You invited Bloom?"

"Well, duh. I told you I liked her," Savannah answered, like it was a no-brainer.

Sky sighed, "And you neglected to tell me... why?"

Savannah shrugged, smiling all-too-innocently. "You never asked."

Sky snorted. "I think I might have to take your gift back."

Savannah's eyes widened, and her lower lip trembled. "Why?"

"Sky, you idiot!" **(5)** Bloom hissed, smacking him upside the head. "You don't joke with an eight-year-old about that! Jeez!"

"Hey, I was just kidding! There's no need for violence!" Sky protested.

"Apologize to her and tell her she's not losing her gift. God, how stupid can you get?" Bloom snapped at him, smacking him on the arm this time.

"Okay, okay! Just stop hitting me!" Sky acquiesced, his hands reflexively moving so that his fingers could shackle Bloom's wrists and keep her from hitting him again, though it didn't really hurt.

Of course, that was a stupid action on his part as her arms went limp immediately, and she looked up at him, her turquoise eyes shifting from teasing to an altogether different emotion he wasn't sure he wanted to dwell on and figure out. He barely registered all the laughing had turned to quiet giggles, but it wasn't foremost in his mind. At that moment, the only thought he could make out were how looking into Bloom's eyes was a helluva lot different (and better) than looking into Diaspro's, how he really enjoyed his reaction to Bloom, and how annoying it was for him not to know what the scent beneath the cherries was.

A cleared throat caused Bloom's gaze to dart away from his, and she jerked her hands from his hold. Sky blinked to clear his thoughts and remembered where he was. His face flushed, and a quick glance at Bloom let him know she was blushing, too.

"You two back with us?" Musa teased.

Neither of them responded to her.

"So, Savannah, open your gift," was Bloom's choice comment.

The mentioned girl looked at Sky for an affirmation.

"I'm sorry, Savannah. I was only kidding. I would never take your gift away from you," Sky told his sister sincerely.

Savannah smiled weakly and unwrapped the box, pulling the lid off. A slip of tissue paper covered the item, and the moment that was pulled off, an excited and shocked gasp came from Savannah. There were simultaneous gasps from the other girls in the room, minus Musa and Bloom. Musa was used to it, so she only nodded in approval as Bloom's mouth fell open for a couple of seconds. She quickly regained her composure, but not before Savannah saw it.

"I love it!" Savannah squealed, pulling the necklace out of the box. It wasn't all that large, and it was on a silver chain (though the only way to tell that was because of the clasp) that was roughly nine inches long. The necklace wasn't quite elegant, but it wasn't gaudy either. Most of the charms on it were ones that had to do with the ocean and the beach, though the middle charm was an "S" in a baby blue shade. It was a pretty piece of jewelry and had been well thought out.

And it had probably been pretty damn expensive. Not like that was a hindrance for Sky and his parents, though.

"Wow," Bloom whispered, almost inaudibly, and Sky heard it but didn't comment since he was suddenly the recipient of a tight hug from his sister.

"Thank you so much, Sky," the strawberry blonde girl whispered, and Sky smiled, hugging her back just as tightly and kissing her temple.

"You are very welcome, Savannah. Now, I think it's time you started deciding the movies you want to watch, hmm?" Sky suggested.

Savannah released him and nodded emphatically. "Right. So, girls, what movies do we want to watch?"

* * *

Bloom stretched, stifling a yawn, as she rose from the floor at Musa's cue. The two girls headed out into the hallway and were quickly followed by Savannah's brother. "They'll be out for the rest of the night. We may as well get settled ourselves," Musa told Bloom.

"Sounds good. But do you remember our earlier discussion?" the redhead replied.

"Oh, yeah. Sky, Bloom's gonna need to borrow some of your clothes. She wasn't informed it was a sleepover and that the party would continue for a little while in the morning," Musa explained easily.

Sky stared at his cousin like she'd grown two heads. He'd just come to terms with Bloom sleeping in his room – in his _bed_ – and now Musa had to throw his _clothes _into the mix.

"I knew this was a bad idea. I can just wear my school clothes, Sky. Don't worry about it," Bloom intervened at the look on his face.

Sky shook off the shock. "Oh, no, it's okay. Really. I was just surprised at the notion."

Bloom frowned. "Are you sure?" She seemed skeptical.

"Yes, I'm sure," Sky answered, suddenly turning to the right and pushing open a door.

Bloom stopped short in the doorway. His room was _huge_. It was as big as her open kitchen and living room, and that just wasn't normal. It didn't help that his room was furnished better than anything in Stella's house, and that was definitely impressive. For a long minute, she wasn't sure she'd be able to talk herself into sleeping in Sky's bed (she'd had difficulties the first time) with how far it was from her usual, standard bed.

Slowly, Bloom headed into the blonde boy's room. She glanced at Musa, who was already sliding beneath the covers on Sky's bed, and then looked back at Sky in time to see him hold some clothes out to her. She took them and stood there awkwardly.

Sky noticed it almost immediately. "You can change in my bathroom. If you go back toward the hallway, my bathroom's on your left." He watched her nod before she walked back to his bathroom. When he heard the door close, he sighed heavily, returning to digging through his drawers for proper pajamas. After looking blindly for a minute, he sighed in frustration and slammed his hands against his dresser.

"Sky, even she can't hide her astonishment from everyone forever. If I remember correctly, some of this even surprised Diaspro. This isn't exactly normal," Musa pointed out.

Sky finally chose two items at random, shutting the drawers roughly. "But she's uncomfortable."

"Oh, my goodness. Sky, she's new to all this. She's never had a boyfriend, remember? And now she's at your house, wearing your clothes, and sleeping in your room in your bed. Of course she's uncomfortable! Jeez," Musa sighed, willing for patience.

The blonde male frowned, letting it all sink in. That all made sense. Well, minus the fact that she'd never had a boyfriend; the he did not quite comprehend, but the rest was definitely simple to get. "I guess..." he finally agreed, pushing his hand through his hair.

Musa didn't respond to that. Not like he would've heard her, anyway, since Bloom had just emerged from the bathroom.

And Musa was right not to say anything because Sky definitely wouldn't have heard it. He was too focused on the girl wearing his still-too-big clothes and shifting uncomfortably. He felt oddly triumphant; Diaspro wouldn't wear any of his clothes (even a jacket) to save her life, so most people had found out they were together through school gossip.

Yet here Bloom was, and she didn't even know him all that well.

And why that actually caused him to feel like he won something; Sky was pretty sure it was because he'd let himself get too interested in her, and now he just didn't even care anymore. He liked her, and he didn't care if it was obvious.

Clearing his throat, Sky spoke without consent from his brain, "They look good on you." He'd wanted to get her to loosen up a little, but that had not been the approach he wanted to take. Yeah, he thought that, but she really didn't have to hear it from the horse's mouth.

Musa rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. Sky was annoying, yes, and he did mess up an otherwise okay situation, but he had good intentions, and it was rather nice to see Sky's genuine personality around someone else besides Savannah. He wanted to please everyone, and it was actually difficult for her to just sit by and watch him change into the different personalities he had. She did care about him, but she saw no use in being open about it and showed her affection in a more subtle way.

Besides, with the new information from Bloom, he was bound to get enough open attention for at least two people, if not a lot more. Musa still did not understand exactly what would appeal to Bloom about Sky. She just didn't seem like the type to like him.

Bloom felt the heat creep up her neck and steal into her face, and she smiled at Sky, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you, I guess." She didn't speak as she watched him fight internally, trying to decide if what he wanted to say would only dig him into a deeper hole. He was so cute sometimes.

"Well, I'll, uh, let you two get some sleep. You two will be working practically nonstop in the morning." Sky started to the door but turned to look back. "Good night." Though he was talking to them both, he was looking at Bloom.

"Good night, Sky," Bloom returned the farewell.

And this was getting to be a bit too much for Musa. "Yeah, yeah, good night! Go before I kick you out of your own room, Sky. You're hovering," Musa sighed exasperatedly.

Sky held his hands up and turned around, heading out of his room and closing the door behind him.

Bloom smiled to herself and headed to the bed. After she'd slid in, she frowned. "Hey, Muse, where's the light switch?"

Musa snapped her fingers, and the lights went off. "There isn't one."

"That's nifty," Bloom sighed as she settled more comfortably in the bed. She could smell Sky's cologne but wasn't sure what the scent was specifically, though it did smell nice.

"Eh."

There was a long silence, the only noise that of the two girls' breaths. Both were slow, but neither of them was shallow yet, so it was obvious they were still awake. One of them shifted again.

And then:

"How?"

Bloom groaned in disbelief. "Musa!"

Musa sighed. "Sorry." A pause. "I just don't—"

"Not now, Musa."

"Fine."

* * *

**1- Sky's clothes. Yeah, I had originally debated on this one for... a while. I had been thinking about whether or not to do this before the third chapter was even started because I knew once I introduced Savannah, she'd have to have a slumber party. :]  
But Bloom wearing Sky's clothes was... difficult for me to finally accept. I mean, I wanted it to happen, but it was difficult to **_**do. **_**If that makes sense.**

**2- Bloom admitting to liking Sky. This was another difficult part. I thought it'd help create some problems, actually. I mean, the other girls will find out about that question (and the answer) soon, and it's actually very important for what's going to happen. I don't want to give too much away, but let's just say... Sky and Diaspro wouldn't have been broken up in this story if that question had never been asked and answered. ^_~**

**3- Okay, seeing as it's not April 27, yet, Sky has not turned 17. Where his birthday falls in the year really messes it all up. I think he'd be the youngest guy, actually, with how those dates fall. I'd have to look the other days up again, but I'm pretty sure that's when it is. (And I think Sky's birthday is the only one I'll use from the 4Kids version. The rest are Italian version (if I remember correctly). If this changes, I'll let you know.)**

**4- Bloom pretty much sandwiching herself between Musa and Sky: Part of that was just to be mean to Sky, and the other part is because, well, he's in her spot, and the circle is not exactly **_**wide**_**. No matter where she sat, she'd be pressed in between two people. Naturally, I chose Sky and Musa because Bloom **_**knows**_** them and wouldn't mind being pressed against them. She's out of her zone at his house, so it's only natural. **

**5- Okay, I know this is not exactly how Bloom would treat him. But really! He deserves to be told when he's an idiot, and Bloom's one of the only ones who would do it, and you all know that. I'm sure that, behind the scenes, she tells him off if he does something completely stupid. They can't do it in front of the children on the show, but they will in this. If Bloom sees he's doing something stupid, be ready for her to call him an idiot, even if it's only in her thoughts. XD**

**So onto reviews:**

Silver Crown- **Glad you're still with us! ^-^ Stella and Brandon are up next~**

macabreXpurinsesu- **Nice to see you again~ Hope you liked it. Not much Riven, but he'll make up for his absence in this by complaining on their Spring Break trip. ^_~**

**And that's all for now!**

**I MISS YOU, SARAH! And I'm sorry I had to update without you. It tore me apart inside. DD: (I hope the Disclaimer made up for it.)**

**Until next time~**

_**~-=+The Dynamic Duo+=-~**_


	8. Is This a Joke?

**_Disclaimer: _"Bloom, you're awesome! That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen! You gotta give me five!" - Sky**

**For all those people out there who thought Sky should've left the line off with "seen" and left that last sentence out. XD Right now all of you should be raising your hands because it is undoubtedly the cheesiest line in the show to date. I don't know what 4kids was thinking because Rai did _not _have that line.**

**So here's your update, on time, yet again! I don't know if this will happen next week because I will be on vacation. If I can't get online to post it (I think we're bringing the laptop, and we should be able to get internet) then expect two chapters the Tuesday coming up after next. ;]**

**Well, I don't have much to say except that I forgot to warn you all not to go and see _The Last Airbender_. It sucked. There was barely any humor in it, and more than half the people looked completely messed up. Zuko's scar looked like bad acne, and... ugh! I don't even want to discuss this. I'll get into a rant. Long story short: DON'T GO SEE THAT MOVIE! _Especially_ if you liked the show. It ruins everything. -_-**

**Oh, and heads up: Riven's profanity appears when they're waiting on Stella to hide. So... yeah. It's not horrible; it's only two words, but one of them is just... I'm sorry, but I couldn't see Riven saying that without the first word. He's an angry teen.**

**Anyway, without further ado, let the story continue~ :3**

* * *

Chapter viii: Is This a Joke?

"All right, listen up!" Ms. Cooper snapped at her large group of students, trying to yell over all the noise.

Since it obviously wasn't working, Stella watched her red-haired friend snatch a whistle from some nearby kid and blow it for a few seconds. She had silence, as well as almost every student's undivided attention, as she spoke loudly. "Everyone, Ms. Cooper has an announcement to make, so _listen_," Bloom snapped, glaring at a couple of boys who were still fooling around.

Needless to say, they stopped immediately.

Stella smiled to herself as she watched her friend turn to look at Ms. Cooper expectantly. That, in turn, had all the others students looking at the drama teacher.

"Thank you, Bloom," Ms. Cooper sighed with a smile. "Now, we are getting the opportunity to go on a trip over Spring Break. It is not mandatory for you to go, but you wouldn't get another opportunity to go as cheaply as this." Ms. Cooper paused, making sure everyone was listening. "We, as in all the cast, are going to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida!" Ms. Cooper announced, beaming at all the kids.

"Seriously?" a random cast member gasped, her eyes wide. **(1)**

"Of course! Why would I joke about something like this?" Ms. Cooper queried, shaking her head incredulously. "You will have a little over two months to get your money in, and then we will worry about assigning rooms. The down payment is due in a week, and I will give you all the information at rehearsal tomorrow. Just be sure to let your parents know when and where to make sure it doesn't interfere with their plans. You are dismissed."

All the cast were talking animatedly as they filed out of the auditorium. The usual group of eleven **(2)** (plus a few extras) met up in the center of the stage to discuss the plans for the upcoming Friday night.

"So, how long did you know about this trip, Bloom?" Musa sighed after the whole group had gathered.

Bloom shrugged. "I can't remember when she told me her plans, but she told me this morning all systems were a go," the redhead answered easily. And then she changed the subject so she could get something off her chest. "And before you continue questioning me, I need to tell you four girls that Nicolas and I went on a date Saturday night. I've tried to tell you all day, but I never got the chance."

"You little sneaks! You told us you didn't have any plans together Friday night and _conveniently_ didn't mention Saturday. I even called you to see if you wanted to go out, and you told me _nothing_," Stella snapped, exasperated with her friend.

Bloom smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, um, sorry 'bout that," she answered nervously.

"Whoa. So you _were_ flirting with her, Nick?" Brandon inquired. "I thought you were just being friendly."

Nicolas snorted. "I _know _the difference between the two. You guys just assumed I didn't."

"Well, that just beats all, doesn't it?" Brandon grumbled.

"Are you going out again?" Tecna asked.

Bloom blinked, blushing lightly. "I don't know. I mean, it was fun, but—"

"Do I need to remind you of that question you answered Friday night?" Musa interrupted, her gaze levelled on Bloom.

The redhead's eyes darted in the direction of Nicolas, Sky, and Riven (all three were standing right next to each other, and the glance was so fleeting, it was hard to pinpoint where it had gone) before returning to Musa. "I know, Muse."

"Wait, what question? And why were you two together Friday night?" Stella frowned, disliking being on the outside.

"They were at my house. It was Savannah's birthday," Sky replied, heaving a sigh that sounded like a mixture of multiple emotions.

"Aw, hell! You should've reminded me! I was going to give her something," Brandon complained.

"Guys, we're trying to get some information," Flora told them patiently.

"So what was asked?" Stella questioned again, raising her brows.

"It doesn't concern any of you, so drop the subject," Bloom retorted, making sure to only really address the left side of the circle. "Now, what're we doing _this _Friday?"

"Wait, wait, wait! I know you won't tell us the question, but why did you bring up the date if you weren't going to tell us anything?" Stella whined.

Bloom sighed again. "I don't think any guys here are interested in hearing about our date, and I only told you so you'd know." She shrugged. "Now, can we discuss Friday night?"

"Well, actually, we'd all decided to go to Sky's place. We thought it would be fun just to hang out and look up YouTube videos or whatever," Helia answered. Most of the group started at him in silence. "Sorry. I have been practicing talking like Link a bit too much, I believe." **(3)**

The five girls burst into laughter at the sudden switch in dialogue. "Oh, Helia. You crack me up," Musa teased, continuing to laugh.

"Being their amusement sucks, doesn't it?" Riven appealed to the black-haired artist. Helia nodded in agreement, his brows furrowed. "Don't worry. It means you're accepted, so you can date Flora." Riven paused. "But we'll be watching." The last sentence was said so softly, Helia wasn't sure Riven had actually _said_ it.

"Okay, so after rehearsal on Friday, we're going to Sky's place?" Bloom double-checked.

"Yes," Timmy answered.

"All right, sounds great. Riv and I should probably head home, though, before Mom and Dad take away our Disney World trip rights," Bloom sighed.

"Oh, I've got to tell my dad about it! He's already made plans for a cruise, but I want to go there a lot more than on a cruise," Stella explained. "I'll see all of you tomorrow."

"Wait. I'll walk with you," Brandon told her. "Our cars are basically right next to each other."

He smiled at her, and she found herself smiling back. She rather enjoyed his company, and she definitely enjoyed his looks. But he was also sweet and attentive, and she loved that he flirted openly but would mainly just talk to her when they were alone. He always knew how her days were going or had gone, and he'd speak to her accordingly. It was... amazing. _He_ was amazing.

"Okay. Let's go," the brunette boy spoke, starting to head away from the group. Stella walked after him, and he matched her pace so she wasn't having to run to keep up.

"So, how'd your day go?" Stella asked him as the doors to the auditorium closed behind them.

"It went well, though some moments were better than others. This is definitely one of those better moments," he teased lightly, winking at her.

Stella smiled coyly. "Oh?"

Brandon laughed softly, and the sound messed with all her senses, warming her even as the cold air brushed her face as he held the school door open for her. "Yes," he answered, letting the door shut.

"Thank you." She was talking about both his sweet comment and his chivalrous behavior.

"My pleasure." And it was true. He enjoyed seeing the warmth that flooded her amber eyes at the simple, gentlemanly gestures. He'd do anything to have her look at him like that.

Stella smiled, feeling slightly self-conscious, which was weird. She'd never worried about if the guys she dated really liked _her_ – they _were _in high school, after all, and those relationships usually never lasted – so this was a new experience for her. She really wanted Brandon to like her, and she was always worried she would do or say something wrong in front of him. But it wasn't like she hid anything about herself from him. Lies weren't good in a relationship, and she obviously wanted the one she got with Brandon to last.

Unfortunately, they reached her car soon, and she didn't want to say goodbye. "Well, I guess we'll see each other tomorrow," Stella started off their farewells, shifting awkwardly.

"Yeah," Brandon sighed, nodding. A moment of silence passed. Then he leaned down and brushed a kiss on her cheek. "Until tomorrow, princess,"**(4)** he whispered. He then turned and walked away.

Stella watched him for a few seconds before slipping into her car. She smilled to herself as she lightly touched her cheek.

Brandon stopped a few cars down to watch the blonde girl. She really was like a princess to him. He was always worried he'd say something wrong, but he couldn't keep from speaking his thoughts, even if they were only expressed through his actions. Like holding a door open for her or kissing her on the cheek. Or even walking her to her car with an excuse of his car being nearby when he'd gotten a ride from Sky that morning.

* * *

Though Diaspro and Sky had left the room for a "private discussion," everyone in the room could hear their argument. Disapro didn't want to go to Disney World, and she was trying to get Sky to stay behind. He didn't see her reasoning.

"Oh, come on, Sky! Don't you know how childish that is?" Diaspro snapped at her boyfriend.

"Look, Diaspro, I _want _to go there. Not only because I think it would be fun, but it's also the only way Savannah will get to go. My parents can't, so they're paying for Savannah instead," Sky protested.

"I doubt Ms. Cooper would agree to that," Diaspro snorted.

"Actually, she said it was perfectly fine. Bloom asked." **(5)**

"Ouch," Musa whispered, grinning.

Bloom shushed her, but she was grinning about it as well.

"They could fund for Savannah to go any time, Sky." Diaspro was definitely pissed now.

"They don't have the time! It's now or never," Sky growled.

"You could stay with me..." Diapsro trailed off. "I'm sure your parents would trust Savannah with your friends."

"Diaspro, you're going on a trip to the _Bahamas_," Sky stressed the word, trying to get her to see reason. "I'd be stuck here with no one to hang out with. And we both know my going with you is out of the question," Sky pointed out to her.

There was a long moment of silence before the door opened again, and everyone turned to act like they hadn't been eavesdropping. Minus Bloom and Riven.

"I guess you got conned into the trip earlier, too?" Riven muttered, crossing his arms.

"It's _Disney World_. Why wouldn't I go?" Sky answered, grinning.

"You sure? I mean, you _are _turning seventeen in a couple of months. I've heard that is a life-altering age change. You start trying to be a man early," Bloom mocked, snickering.

Sky smirked in response. "And miss the chance to see you freaking out over all the _Little Mermaid_ stuff? No chance, _Red_," he retorted.

"Hey, you can't call me that!" Bloom exclaimed.

"Hey, you can't call her that!" Brandon shouted at the same time. Except then he added, "Red's my nickname for her. Get your own."

"Don't worry. I was just saying it to anger her," Sky reassured his friend.

Several people were laughing by now. "You can call her Teresa," Stella told him with a smirk.

"Don't you dare go there, Stell, or I'll tell everyone your middle school nickname," Bloom threatened.

Stella paled and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Sky. No 'Teresa,' either."

"I'll come up with something. Don't fret over it," Sky assured them.

Bloom groaned. "_Great_."

Everyone (minus Diaspro) laughed. "Don't worry, Bloom. It can't be that bad," Nicolas told the redhead, running his fingers through the ends of her red locks in a way that seemed slightly (and oddly/awkwardly)... intimate.

Bloom smiled up at him as Musa agreed, "Yeah. It _is _Sky we're talking about."

Bloom scowled at her friend before she could stop herself but instantly replaced the look with a grin as laughter sounded once again.

"Um, Sky, the food's ready," Savannah spoke over the laughter.

"Yes! Dinner!" Bloom exclaimed, bolting from her seat and out the door, Musa on her heels.

"Thanks," Sky told his sister before she darted after the two girls.

* * *

"All right, we can play a game now that Diaspro's gone," Sky announced to the group.

"Good riddance," Musa and Brandon said simultaneously. They then grinned and high-fived each other. **(6)**

It was a measure of how Sky had started not to really care that he didn't say antything to (or glare at) the two. Instead, he asked, "So what do we want to do?"

"Video games?" Timmy suggested.

That suggestion was shot down quickly because of the largeness of their group.

"What about Twister?" Jared piped in.

Musa rolled her eyes. "We don't have Twister." Not like she'd play it if Jared was going to. He'd been hitting on her quite a lot recently, and she didn't accept it. She wasn't interested in him. Sure, he was cute, but that was all he had going for him.

"Pictionary?" Flora asked.

"Cute. But I don't think all of us want to do that," Stella pointed out.

"I don't think Flora would, either," Helia added. "It would just be me. But thank you for the thought, Flora." The black-haired boy smiled slowly at her, and Flora blushed as she looked away.

"I want to do an active game," Bloom voiced, to which most everyone agreed.

"Charades?" Andrew queried.

"I wouldn't call that 'active,' Andrew," Musa retorted. (**7)**

"What about Sardines?" Savannah opted.

There was a moment of silence.

"That's perfect!" Bloom exclaimed. "We're doing something fun _and _active!"

"Great choice, Savannah," Nicolas agreed, winking at the eight-year-old.

Savannah flushed, smiling. "Thanks."

Bloom glanced at Nicolas with raised eyebrows as if to prove a point, and Stella couldn't help but grin. It was pretty clear by the way Nick blushed lightly that Savannah had a slight crush on her older brother's friend. It was cute, actually, and not very surprising. It was quite common for girls to like older boys at that age. **(8)**

Stella only wondered if Sky knew or if that was just another strike against Nicolas. She'd seen his face earlier, when Nick had been trying to reassure Bloom. Sky obviously hadn't liked the interaction, as his eyes had narrowed, his jaw had tightened, and his hands had curled into fists. And then he'd looked away to (she assumed) keep from saying or doing anything about it.

It was very clear Sky was falling (or had fallen) very hard for Bloom. And that made Stella almost as giddy as the prospect of going on a date with Brandon.

Sure, Bloom and Nicolas would be (and were) cute together, but Sky... well, he was perfect for her red-haired friend, and if he wanted Bloom, Stella hoped he got her.

Stella was brought from her thoughts by Brandon's hand on her shoulder. "Savannah chose for Bloom to go hide, so in a couple of minutes, we'll go look for her. We're supposed to work separately, but I'm sure that won't be happening by the end of the night," Brandon explained to the blonde since he knew she hadn't been paying attention.

"She chose Bloom? Shouldn't that make it easy to find her?" Stella inquired.

"Are you kidding? Not only has she been given the tour, but she had to go everywhere last week looking for this and that. Believe me, she'll find a place to hide," Musa disagreed. "It should be a challenge."

* * *

"What were you and Sky doing the whole time?" Stella asked Bloom as they waited on Sky to hide.

"Nothing! We just sat there. I mean, come on! You're supposed to be _quiet _during the game, for one. Two, we could've been walked in on at any moment. And third, he has a girlfriend and, well..." she trailed off, glancing very briefly at Nicolas.

"Yeah, I wonder how awkward that was for him when you two started hanging all over each other," Brandon added.

"We weren't 'hanging all over each other' as you so fluently put it, Brandon. The space was small for so many people, so Bloom sat in my lap. Big deal," Nicolas contradicted.

"He has a point," Timmy agreed. "We were all practically on each other by the end."

Knowing they were defeated, Stella and Brandon dropped the subject. Nicolas definitely wasn't gaining any points.

* * *

"Wow. I seriously found you first?" Stella asked the orange-blonde-haired boy. "That's new. I'm usually last." She smiled at him as she sat down. "So, uhm, how are you, Pete?" She was talking on purpose. Pete was one of her ex-boyfriends, and he didn't keep it a secret that he still liked her, so she was hoping someone would find them quickly.

Pete chuckled, shaking his head. "The concept of the game is to _not _be found, Stell," he teased.

She gritted her teeth at his familiar tone but said nothing, even though she hated him calling her by her nickname only her close friends used.

"Well, I got tired of the 'no talking' rule. It's boring," Stella sighed, frowning. "Besides, there's only one more round, and the sooner this is all over, the sooner I can go home. It's getting late."

"Stell, you've got to learn not to talk," Bloom laughed as she, Sky, _and _Savannah piled into the hiding spot.

"Huh. I thought you'd be hunting with Nick," Stella murmured.

"She was," Nicolas answered as he came into the room, too.

"Well, this shouldn't take long, then," Stella observed happily.

* * *

"Okay, last round, and it's Stella hiding. I'd say five minutes, tops," Bloom bet, grinning.

"Yes, the probability of us all finding her quickly is very high," Tecna nodded.

Brandon, though he wanted to, couldn't deny this statement. Stella had been the last one to find them all every time but the previous round, and then it had taken less than a minute for four of the others to find her and Pete, so the likelihood that this would take a long time was very low.

"Oh, come on, guys. Stella never did like these games all that much, anyway. She's always hated Hide-and-Seek, so why should Sardines be any different for her?" Flora defended her friend.

"Ever the defender, eh?" Jared asked.

"Yes, Jared, Flora has a conscience, and she doesn't really enjoy hearing anyone talk bad about others, especially friends. It's not a life-altering moment," Musa snapped. Jared had been saying stupid crap like that all night, and it had worn on her nerves.

Jared blinked, frowning. "I was just—"

"Okay, Jared, is it? Shut_._ The. _Fuck_. Up. Since she won't tell you bluntly, I will. You're annoying as hell," Riven growled, staring at the raven-haired boy with thinly-veiled anger.

"Riven, that's not nice," Flora murmured.

"_I'm_ not nice," Riven retorted.

Musa couldn't help but grin at that. Riven definitely wasn't "the boy next door" or anything, but he also wasn't the badass he wanted everyone to believe he was, especially with how he watched over his little sister and her friends. It was sweet and – she hated to admit it – cute.

"Okay," Sky announced, "it's time to start hunting."

As everyone basically paired up and started searching in small groups, Brandon lagged behind and tried to think where Stella would hide. The most obvious places would have been a bedroom or a bathroom, so he knew not to look there. He was trying to think of the last place she would hide.

Frowning, he just started looking around him. Most of the group had gone downstairs, but he had an inkling Stella would have stayed on the second floor, which was why he was looking around for a room that she could hide in.

It was roughly five minutes later that he found what he was looking for: a maid's utility closet. "Bingo," he whispered to himself as he glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, he quietly opened the door and looked inside. As he had expected, the blonde girl sat to one side, on a bucket of some sort. She also looked like she was ready to go to sleep. "Want some company?" he teased as he shut the door behind him and sat on the small, overturned bucket next to her.

Stella simply smiled at him as they sat there quietly. Of all the people to find her first, she was glad it was Brandon. It was nice just having him sit by her, on a bucket in a maid's closet, not even talking at all.

After a few long minutes, she couldn't stand it. Shifting, she moved to where her lips were hovering near Brandon's ear. "Are we allowed to move spots? Because I don't think they're coming," Stella breathed quietly against his ear before moving her head back some.

Brandon hadn't been expecting the sudden heat against his ear – in fact, he'd thought Stella had drifted off – which was why his head flipped around, and he stopped breathing. Stella's amber eyes were slightly wide, but an unmistakeable emotion flared in her eyes at their closeness that Brandon was sure was reciprocated in his brown ones.

And in that moment, Brandon threw all good intentions out the window.

He leaned down and captured her lips with his. Her response was immediate, and her arms wrapped around his neck as his hands threaded into her soft, golden locks. He was glad they were sitting down because he knew he wouldn't have been capable of standing; his brain completely shut down as his instincts took over. Though it wasn't entirely carnal, their kiss wasn't exactly gentle, either.

Daring to go one step further, Brandon licked her lower lip. Stella was surprised, but she recovered quickly and parted her lips. A quiet moan sounded in the back of her throat as his tongue moved against hers. Unfortunately, by this time her subconscious was pointing out how difficult it was to kiss in this position. She was practically falling off the bucket, and they had enough space between them to fit another body. She made a quick decision and moved to sit in Brandon's lap. It didn't bother him (obviously), as he just tilted her head back for better access, and another moan sounded in her throat.

And then they were jarred back to their senses when there was a loud _CRACK!_ And they ended up in a heap on the floor. The little bucket had been lucky enough to stand Brandon's weight alone (it wasn't mean to hold more than fifty pounds) so adding another person had been asking too much of the plastic item. It was a good thing, though, as the two realized their hormones had gotten a bit out of hand, and neither of them really knew what to say. After all, they _had_ just met each other a little over five weeks ago. This wasn't exactly how either of them had wanted to start this (whatever it was) out.

That was why they both said the same thing:

"Sorry."

They blinked, simply looking at each other before they started laughing. The whole situation seemed so ridiculous. They'd just had their first kiss in a maid's utility closet on a bucket while playing Sardines.**(9) **It was hilarious.

"I don't think I could explain what just happened, even if I knew all the words in the dictionary," Stella told the brunette, beaming up at him.

Brandon laughed and pulled her to him, resting his chin on her head. "I couldn't, either," he agreed. His nose suddenly twitched as a familiar scent hit him. "Stella?"

"Hmm?" She titlted her head back to look at him.

"What perfume are you wearing?"

Stella's amber eyes glinted as she laughed. "It's Daisy by Marc Jacobs," she answered, settling her head back down on his shoulder. After a long moment, she spoke again. "Do you not like it?" Her voice sounded drowsy, and he smiled to himself.

"No, it's great. It's subtle and sweet. It doesn't burn your nose with a strong odor or anything. And it suits you; I don't think you would ever wear something overpowering," Brandon told her.

"You're right, though most people expect the opposite. I can't stand the pungent perfumes. They give me a headache," the blonde girl confided, her eyes closing as she felt his arms tighten around her.

Brandon didn't answer, and when the door finally opened, the tenage girl was asleep.

Bloom quirked a brow as she, and several others, surveyed the scene. "What happened in here?"

Brandon chuckled as he answered truthfully, "I'm not sure _I_ even know."**(10)** Slowly, he stood, cradling the still-sleeping blonde to his chest as he walked out of the closet. "You think you could drive her home?" he asked Bloom.

"Yeah," she agreed immediately. "She's not the only one asleep, either. We put Savannah to bed, and Flora was asleep on the couch when we found her and Helia. It's really late, especially after being at school and rehearsal all week." Grinning, she followed Brandon down the stairs. "I'll probably crash at her house. It'll be too close to curfew for Riven to follow and take me home."

As Bloom headed to Riven's car to grab her stuff, Brandon headed to Stella's car. He was saved having to open the door by another person helping. "Thanks, Sky," he murmured, setting the girl down softly in the passenger's seat. He buckled her in and looked around since he didn't hear a response from his blonde friend.

He smiled as he caught sight of Sky talking to Bloom by Riven's car. He wasn't sure what was being said, but he knew he'd probably find out soon.

Turning back to Stella, Brandon leaned down and kissed her temple. "Sweet dreams, princess," he whispered before he closed the car door as quietly as he could. He then started back inside to say his farewells.

Meanwhile, a certain blonde shifted in her seat, sleepily blinked, and closed her eyes again as a smile spread across her face. "Sweet dreams to you, too, Brandon," she murmured.

* * *

**1 – This cast member might actually be Layla. She's in the musical, but I couldn't bring myself to make her part of the group just yet.**

**2 – The group of eleven is the normal group of ten that we all know and love, plus Nicolas. He's **_**always **_**there, so I changed the number. ^_~**

**3 – I hadn't had Helia speak in a while, so I wanted him to say something. When I proof-read my work, it didn't fit with him, so I came up with that excuse. XD**

**4 – Okay, I had to have Brandon keep his "princess" name for Stella. It's just... so **_**Brandon**_**. If he didn't say it, he wouldn't be himself. Not to mention, I think it's just cute. :D**

**5 – I'm sorry, but Bloom had to be mentioned there. That was like a bitch slap to Diaspro.**

**6 – That was a special request from Sarah. Hope you guys liked the Musa-Brandon friendship there.**

**7 – I didn't realize how much Musa seemed to hate Andrew and Jared until then. But she has bad blood with both of them, so keep that in mind when she's mean to them.**

**8 – Okay, this is from experience. I've seen this happen (and had it happen to me) before. I had a crush on one of my brother's friends when I was, like, seven, and I found out that most of my friends (who had older siblings) could say the same.**

**9 – If you haven't noticed, I come up with the weirdest places for people to have their first kisses. This one just came about on accident. But I think theirs might be the weirdest one. It definitely beats a garage. Lol. But to be honest, Tecna and Timmy might be the only two who would kiss in a normal place. I actually wanted to have one cliché kiss in here, and they're the only ones it'll work for. ^_~**

**10 – Originally, I was planning on leaving the chapter off there, but then I was like, "That's not good. Their fluffy chapter ends with **_**Brandon talking to Bloom**_**?" I couldn't do that to you guys, so I added more.**

**REVIEWS! :D**

Emily Borgo – **Uhm, thanks for the suggestion, but I don't see Stella and Brandon doing that; they'd be fine with flaunting their relationship openly. Neither of them are shy or anything, and people are kind of expecting it, so... Yeah, there was no reason for them to run around behind everyone's back.**

gleekyconverses215 – **Well, hello again! Lol. Thanks for all those reviews on the separate chapters. And I'm glad you had the same thoughts I did. Diaspro really only cares about her status, and she just wants to say she's got an alliance with Eraklyon (on the show). Too bad for her Sky doesn't care. XDD**

**Haha. Yeah, I love Flora and Helia. Flora's the shy one while Helia's okay with being straightforward with her. They're precious. ^-^**

**Hm, yeah. I don't know if it's possible, but I could see Sky trying to do everything he could to make it happen, so... Yeah, Savannah's lucky to have him as her older brother. [[Of course, Bloom will be even luckier than Savannah later on. -Sighs.-]]  
****Well, yeah! Bloom has nothing against wearing his clothes, but Diaspro's all about her looks. Wearing Sky's clothes doesn't go with her looks. But it just gives Sky more reasons to fall for Bloom. I mean, she's turning out to be everything he'd want, no? XD  
****Are you talking about Bloom and Sky breaking up? Or about Diaspro and Sky? 'Cause you'll get to see the latter. I'm—not going to continue that thought since it'd be a spoiler. Oops?  
****Yeah, I know. I'm the same; BloomxSky is my favorite, mainly because I like to manipulate their relationship so that it actually **_**works**_**. In the show, it's kind of... off, so I'm trying to fill in holes and make it more likely to happen. ;D**

lulubell1234 – **There you are! ^^ I missed you in the last chapter, but I see you made up for it with the review. Lol.  
****I'm glad you thought the romance was balanced enough for Flora and Helia to kiss in a garage. I was actually slightly worried about it, but then I just went for it because Helia's disoriented, and Flora's too shy to act on her side like that, so... it gave me the perfect excuse. ^_~  
****Yes, Savannah is now eight! I had to have her slumber party happen, and that was the only time it would fit in. It was partially just a filler chapter to get some time to pass. ^^; And I would've loved to have been there. I mean, it would've been a chance to meet **_**Sky**_**. How could I pass that up? XD  
****And Sky and Bloom have slightly evolved, though not all that much. They'll evolve more in DW. Can't wait for those chapters. Lol.**

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this one~**

**Until next time!**

_**~-=+The Dynamic Duo+=-~**_


	9. Je T'aime

_**Disclaimer: No rights to Winx Club. Believe me, you would know if I did. ;D I also happen to own nothing else except for this plot line. Go me, huh?**_

Soooo... Generally, this is where I announce if Sarah is with me. And – if I am being entirely honest – she actually would have been here if I had chosen to wait until this weekend to post this. But I really think that you guys deserve this now. Not to mention, I just finished this chapter last night and I really would like to get it out while I actually _feel _like posting.

Alright, I guess I will quickly explain my situation. Like, in one sentence, because I don't want to get into any nitty gritty details. Those of you who seriously care or whatever, PM me, and I'll try to explain what happened, but don't count on it. I've told only one person on Fanfiction that I don't know in real life, and it will most likely stay that way.

So, within these past... ten and a half months (wow, it's been so long!), I have been hospitalized due to something unknown, Sarah has been hospitalized with kidney stones, my family has fallen apart because my parents are getting a divorce, my mom had a heart attack (because of genetics and stress [from said divorce]), my mom's boss had a stroke, my brother had a car wreck, and I suffered a dangerous bout of depression that caused me to almost fail an online Lit. course, which ultimately would have caused me to fail Senior year and not allow me to graduate high school.

Nice, sentence, huh? If you're wondering, my mom is okay – her heart attack was actually back right before Christmas, and now I'm the owner of a dog (she's adorable – a Yorkie puppy ^^). Sometimes the dog is more bad than good. And my brother was okay from his very recent wreck – no one was badly hurt, and the worst part is he has to get a new car. But yeah. If anyone was angry with me about my lengthy absence, I hope you forgive me. I know it's almost been two years since I started this, but maybe I'll actually finish it and move onto better ideas, hm?

So, for those of you who actually read this and care, I am (almost) officially a high school graduate! Isn't it exciting~? Today was my very last day of high school. Ever. I'm kinda bummed, but my excitement wins out over it all. :) Anyway, I graduate this weekend, so that's why it's likely that, even though Sarah would have been here, this wouldn't have gotten out. So, I chose to do it my last day of high school. That's fun, too, no?

So, this is dedicated to any 2011 Graduate – be it high school or college! I hope you guys enjoy!

Oh, one last thing: Every couple has a "kiss" scene. Just felt the urge with the whole Valentine's theme. :)

So, let the story continue~ ;D

* * *

Chapter ix: Je T'aime

"Okay, girls, we have less than two hours to make Tecna and Flora presentable for their dates tonight! Bloom, do Flora's hair and makeup, and Musa, you do Tecna's. I'm going to go find them some clothes," Stella ordered, tossing her stuff on the couch. She then darted out of the room to head up the stairs.

"Did she just assign us jobs? She could've _asked_," Musa scowled.

"It's Stell. She doesn't do the asking all that much. Be glad _you _aren't _her_ project. She'd try to get rid of your pigtails first thing," Bloom sighed, setting her stuff down a lot more gently than Stella had.

Musa snorted. "That wouldn't be happening in a million years." She, too, set her stuff down, glancing at Bloom's items. "Huh. So he gave it to you?"

Bloom blinked confusedly before she looked down. "Oh, yeah. I went and got it from him at lunch since he wasn't in phys. ed. this morning," she answered, smiling slyly.

"Who gave you what?" Tecna inquired.

"Uhm..." Bloom hesitated.

"Bloom, don't lie to us," Flora headed that option off immediately.

Bloom released a frustrated sigh. "Let's go upstairs so that I can get this out and not have to repeat myself," the redhead told her friends, knowing they would ask plenty of questions. She heard Musa's snicker and shot her a dark look before grabbing the package and leading the way up the stairs.

Since she and Flora had been there so often, they saw nothing odd about the kitchen and lounge on the second floor that they all had to go through to get to the area of the house where the rooms were. They also saw nothing odd about having to go into a small hallway (it was roughly the size of the maid's closet, actually) with another set of stairs. It was after they went up _those_ stairs that they finally entered Stella's room.

Bloom sighed and set her item down on Stella's bed. "Hey, Stell, we're up here!" she exclaimed.

"All right! Give me a few more minutes. I want to give them a selection," Stella replied, though her voice sounded faint.

Bloom sighed and turned to look at Flora and Tecna to get them into their chairs, but she stopped at the look on Tecna's and Musa's faces. "What?"

"You were complaining about Sky's house, but he doesn't have a third floor or a very obscure route to his room," Musa answered almost immediately. "And he doesn't have a kitchen on the second floor."

"Okay, first, Sky's family doesn't live in a _house_. That _thing_ is a mansion with iron gates and thirty-feet-high walls surrounding the entire property, which is out in the middle of _nowhere_. And he has three kitchens on the first floor, as well as a full staff who gets every third Sunday off. And you're asking me about Stella's obscure room and second kitchen on the second floor." Bloom quirked a brow. "Doesn't that seem a bit insane? Not to mention all the acres of land they have. A small college or university could be started in his back yard," Bloom retorted. "Oh, and don't let me forget this: all the furniture and utilities he has in his room, bathroom, closet, and just _his_ clothes cost more than Stella's entire first floor, which you have yet to see all of, but trust me, that's saying something."

Flora's brows shot up. "You've been in Sky's room?"

"_And_ his bathroom?" Stella asked, which made Bloom wonder how long the blonde girl had been there.

"Hm. Well, you answered my question in your rant, but I'm curious about how his clothes factor in," Tecna added.

"_I'm_ curious about the clothes, and _I_ was there the whole night," Musa agreed.

Stella gasped. "Oh, my goodness, you were in his room that night of Savannah's birthday party, weren't you?" She shook the clothes in her hand at Bloom for only a couple of seconds before she realized she needed to spread them out on her bed. She moved to do such as Bloom started explaining.

"First, yes, it was on the thirty-first, Savannah's birthday. As for the clothes, I had to wear something the next day. Do you not remember Sky and Savannah ganging up on me about not wearing dirty clothes? Because that was when I got to see his closet," Bloom stated, answering Musa's question directly.

Musa snapped her fingers and nodded. "Yeah, I remember that now. I would've been laughing at you if I hadn't had that pesky little girl complaining about every little thing."

"At least yours didn't hate you. Tiffany made my job difficult because of Sky. No one gave me a heads-up about her ten-year-old crush on her friend's brother," Bloom retorted, shaking her head.

Musa grinned. "Well, I don't think any of us knew before she gave you such a hard time and then hung all over him. I've known Tiffany for years, and she's never done that."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure my answer to that stupid question didn't help," Bloom muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

"This is the second time you've said something about a question. I want to know!" Stella demanded.

"Okay, okay, calm down. We'll tell you, but don't forget that we need to work on Flora and Tecna. If we go by what you usually do, though, we need to choose their clothes first. So, if you can do that while listening, I'll talk," Bloom agreed. The three girls who were curious spurred into action.

"So, we were playing Truth, and the way they do it is where if you pass the first two questions, you _must _answer the third one. I got the smart girl who wanted to ask her question she really wanted last and made sure to word her first two questions to where none of them were the same. I ended up having to answer the question of whether or not I _liked_ Sky, as in enough to agree to being his girlfriend if he were to ask me."

Bloom paused for a second, sighing as the three girls who hadn't been there to hear the answer before stopped and stared at her. She shook her head and continued, "And after she reminded me I had to answer that question truthfully, I thought it over and said... yes."

Stella was the first to react. She squealed and clapped her hands together. "Oh, my goodness! Bloom, this is great! And – oh, we've got to tell him!"

"No!" the redhead exclaimed immediately, her eyes wide and fearful. "Please, Stella, don't," she pleaded.

"Why not? He likes you, Bloom," Tecna pointed out, confused.

"But he also likes his _girlfriend_," Bloom stressed.

"Like he wouldn't drop her on her ass if he knew you liked him?" Stella queried, quirking a brow. "I don't understand, Bloom."

"Just forget about telling him, please. I'll do it when I want to," Bloom protested.

"Guys, I really think we shouldn't interfere with her and Sky, especially if she doesn't want us to," Flora sided with her red-haired friend.

"Yo, you're losing your valuable time to get these two prepared for tonight. We barely have an hour now," Musa brought their attention back to the task at hand.

"You're right. Now that we've chosen the outfits, you and Bloom can get them ready while I get shoes, handbags, and jewelry," Stella nodded, ushering Tecna and Flora into chairs in front of a mirror. "So, continue with that explanation about Sky's room and his bathroom."

Bloom shook her head at Stella. "First, Flora and Tecna, get up and change into those clothes since Miss Gossip doesn't remember how to do her own makeovers," Bloom teased with a smile. It took only a few minutes before the two girls were seated again, and then Bloom continued speaking. "Well, there's not much else to tell. The night of Savannah's party, I hadn't been informed it was a sleepover, so I had no clothes and hadn't been planning on staying," Bloom obliged Stella's wishes as she picked up a brush and stated untangling Flora's long hair.

"And she freaked on me when I told her we would be staying in Sky's room. He wasn't going to be in there, anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered. Savannah pulled her sad face and talked Bloom into it, and then it took ten seconds to get Sky's approval about wearing some of his clothes to sleep in," Musa finished. "So she changed in his bathroom." She put down the brush she'd been using and started searching for base for Tecna.

There was silence as three girls stared at Bloom in shock.

"You don't waste time, do you **(1)**?" Tecna teased, causing the redhead to blush darkly.

"I'm sure he died seeing you in his clothes **(2)**," Stella gushed, grinning. "Oh, I'm so happy!"

"Stella, nothing's going to happen," Bloom mumbled, embarrassed.

Stella waved her hand, showing she obviously wasn't going to listen to the protests. She turned, gathering the outfits the two girls hadn't liked, and then she stopped short at the sight of the package on her bed **(3)**. "What's that?"

Four girls turned to look. ––– One winced, another grinned, and two blinked in surprise.

"Oh, yeah. Bloom, you didn't tell us what it was," Flora remembered.

Said girl grimaced and headed to the bed. Picking it up, she unwrapped it and blinked, obviously surprised. "Wow. He went all out."

Musa burst out laughing as she came to see what was in Bloom's hands. "That boy is totally smitten. How much do you wanna bet he got all the cast to sign it?"

"But all I wanted was _one_ picture. I mean, having them all would be amazing, but..." She trailed off as she opened the photo album and started flipping through it. "Oh, my God. This is way too much! I... I have to give it back."

Musa frowned. "No, you don't. Because if you do, he'll take it as rejection, and you are not going to toy with my cousin."

"Whoa! _Sky_ got you this? And on Valentine's Day?" Stella was becoming excited again.

"Well, Sky must really think you're something, Bloom," Tecna gave her input. "I mean, Timmy's given me some high-end items, but we've been together for over eight months now."

This statement immediately shifted the focus, and Bloom dropped the photo album with pictures and signatures from _The Little Mermaid_ cast on the bed. "Uh, Tecna, did you just say you and Timmy have been together for over eight months?" Bloom queried, both her brows raising.

Tecna blinked. "Well, yes."

"You're _together_? Like boyfriend and girlfriend together?" Stella confirmed.

Tecna sighed. "Yes."

"This isn't your first date, then?"

"Stella, how many times do I have to say yes?" Tecna snapped.

"Then what the hell are we doing this makeover for?" Stella retorted, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"_You_ wanted to do it, not me," Tecna scowled.

"Because I thought it was your first date and that you would want to impress him!" Stella exclaimed, like it was obvious.

Tecna frowned and suddenly looked insecure.

Bloom shot Stella a dark look and turned to the overly-intelligent girl. "Tec, Stella doesn't mean what she says when she gets heated. She's just upset that none of us knew you and Timmy were together. She likes to play match-maker."

Tecna shook her head. "Stella's tantrum isn't the problem."

"Then what is it, sweetie?" Flora asked, easily taking on her motherly tone as she put a hand on Tecna's shoulder.

Tecna looked uncomfortable, and a blush tinted her cheeks as she muttered an unintelligible response. When the four girls just waited, she spoke louder, "I _wanted_ to impress him."

Musa smiled. "Yeah, I think we got that from your agreeing to let Stella do this," she teased lightly, winking.

"Why did you want to impress him, Tecna?" Flora asked gently, ignoring Musa.

"Because we don't really talk about anything personal, and, well, we... we haven't had our first kiss, yet." There was silence as they waited patiently for Tecna to get everything out. "He was the first friend I made the start of my Freshman year, and... well, not only have we not kissed, but he doesn't always treat me like a girl, and I wanted... I just wanted tonight to be different."

It was silent for all of five seconds before Stella spoke up with orders. "Change in plans, girls." Tossing the clothes back on the bed, she looked at Musa. "You, go pick out their shoes, handbags, and accessories. _I _am going to take care of Tecna's makeup."

Musa didn't argue (though she did make a face to show her irritation) and headed through the door she'd seen Stella enter through earlier.

Stella turned to Tecna and pushed her into a chair again. "Let's get you ready for your first kiss!"

* * *

Timmy was worried. Tecna, for the first time since he'd met her, was late. Granted it was only about ten or fifteen minutes, and he'd known some guys who'd waited over thirty minutes for their dates before. But he was used to Tecna being there thirty minutes _early_, if not directly on time.

Checking his phone to make sure his watch hadn't somehow been messed with because of his father's work and all the machinery in it, he decided he'd call Tecna and make sure nothing had happened to her if she didn't show up in the next ten minutes.

But Timmy needn't have worried because the pink-haired girl had shown up less than five minutes later, and he completely forgot she was late when he saw her.

Her face looked softer, and her teal eyes were accented with her long lashes, which, he realized, had been thickened with mascara. She had a light coating of soft pink eye shadow, and the cheekbones beneath her eyes were more rose-colored than he remembered. The next thing he noticed was that the clothes she was wearing were not hers because he would've remembered if she'd bought (or worn) anything short enough to show off her lean, shapely legs. Face flushing, he dragged his eyes up to note that she was wearing a blue jean skirt that hit a few inches above her knee and a long-sleeved lavender, V-cut blouse with a white tank beneath it.

The first thought Timmy had was that she was beautiful. But, of course, what actually came out of his mouth was the unintelligible stammer, "Aren't you co—Isn't it too cold to be wearing that skirt?" The moment the words came from his mouth, Timmy winced because he could clearly see Tecna's disappointment. However, she smiled awkwardly at him.

Timmy watched as she walked past him, and he stumbled to catch up so he could at least hold the door open for her. After she walked into the restaurant, he looked up at the sky, muttering, "Why? _Why_?" He then promptly followed her into the restaurant, taking note Tecna had already gotten their table. However, he was surprised when they were led to a table outside. He winced inwardly as he sat down across from his girlfriend, feeling rather awkward since he'd already managed to screw up the beginning of their date.

It wasn't long before the waiter came out and asked them what they wanted to drink before heading back inside, leaving the couple in an awkward silence. Timmy watched Tecna glance over at the trees a few yards away before he cleared his throat. "So, uhm, about earlier... I was kind of flustered, so I'm sorry about what I said. I really wanted to, uhm... to tell you that you looked..." Here, he paused to swallow, rubbing his now-sweaty palms on his pants. "That you looked beautiful."

Even though he'd felt like a fool as he tried to speak to Tecna and say what he really thought, it was worth it to see her face glow in pleasure, to see her lips curve in happiness. Her teal eyes even lit up, and Timmy could feel his heart starting to race. Tecna was the only person who had ever been capable of disorienting him, which was why he always managed to say or do the wrong things; he was always so worried about _not _screwing up that he effectively managed _to_ screw up. It wasn't like he didn't want to tell her when he thought she looked particularly beautiful or when he thought she was exceptionally brilliant – his mind just stopped sending the right syllables to his mouth. Thus the result of him spending time alone with Tecna was him making their relationship worse than it had been when one of their friends – Leon (who was, unfortunately, in the musical with them) – decided he was going to flirt with Tecna and try to split them up. Though Tecna hadn't shown any interest in Leon, Timmy didn't want to take any chances, and therefore tried to spend more time with Tecna, hoping that increased exposure would help him become more controlled around her.

It hadn't taken him long to realize that his reaction to Tecna wasn't a science experiment he could regulate, nor was it some piece of technology he could reset, like it had malfunctioned or something. It made him even more out of his element, and that was something he really didn't need, as he was already having problems with their relationship as it was. Failing was not something he was familiar with and he didn't like it. At all.

The arrival of their waiter caused Timmy to look up, and for the next few moments he was glad to be pulled from his thoughts. However, unfailingly, a silence settled over him and Tecna after their waiter left, and they sat like that for a long few minutes.

And then Timmy noticed the shivering. He stood abruptly and took off his coat, walking around the table and draping it over her shoulders, smiling down at her as she looked at him. "That better?"

Tecna's eyes brightened as she nodded, and Timmy reached out to brush her bangs out of her eyes. "Yes. Thank you, Timmy." His smile only widened as he moved back to his seat and sat down.

Tecna beamed at him, her eyes expressing everything he felt, and he found himself reaching across the table to hold her hand. This was one of the first times he'd gone so long without screwing up with Tecna. Now he only had to hope it would last.

* * *

He was, surprisingly, hanging out on his own when it happened.

Diaspro had already left to do goodness-knows-what when he felt the urge to head down the block to The Diner **(4)**. It was a favorite of the teens because of its old-fashioned milkshakes, which was exactly what Sky wanted at that moment.

He had gone back outside after getting his milkshake and was about to head to his car when he looked up and stopped short, blinking in surprise. He shook his head, blinked a few times, and then looked again.

And a smile quirked his lips.

Shaking his head, he took another sip of his milkshake and, after glancing both ways to make sure no cars were coming, strolled across the street diagonally to the outerim of the park. As he came to a stop behind them, he spoke, "What on earth are you three doing, and why?"

The reaction Sky received was not one he expected.

Bloom was the first to react as her hand shot up, grabbed his wrist, and tugged him down into a kneeling position beside her. He barely kept hold of his milkshake and frowned before she hissed against his ear, "We're spying on Flora and Helia because it's their first official date and because Riven has trust issues. Keep your voice down."

Sky swallowed and (barely suppressing a shudder) nodded, taking a sip of his milkshake to hide his reaction to her. Though he was coming to terms with his feelings for her, he still wasn't comfortable with his physical response to her, and he had the feeling that if _he _wasn't okay with it, _she _wouldn't be okay with it.

After a long moment of uncomfortable silence (at least for Sky), Bloom sighed in relief and relaxed as she sat back before flashing a smile at Sky.

His cousin, however, wasn't so lenient, and she whirled around to glare at him as she growled, "Do you think you could have, for once, looked around before speaking? I mean, I know the only thing you even noticed over here was Bloom, but come on! Do we not obviously look like we are creeping someone?"

Sky felt his face burn darkly, and he couldn't look at any of them as he mumbled, "I'm sorry. Jeez."

"Come on, Muse, it's not that big of a deal. We weren't caught. Flora and Helia didn't even blink, they were so engrossed with each other. That's a good sign," Bloom explained with a smile.

"I'm going to pretend like you did not just defend him so that I can keep my peace of mind," Riven muttered darkly, causing his sister to roll her eyes and causing Sky to shift awkwardly.

"Okay, Mr. and Mrs. Party Pooper, why don't you go creep Flora and Helia some more so I can have a break from your weird and annoying intensity. You two take this way too seriously," Bloom sighed, rubbing her temples.

Surprisingly, the two in question actually got up and left, but not before Riven sent a warning glare to Sky while Musa gave Bloom a look Sky couldn't even begin to understand. But he didn't puzzle over it too long, as Bloom snatched his milkshake out of his hand.

It was only after she'd caught herself before drinking the "unknown" milkshake that she paused and asked, "What flavor is this?"

Sky couldn't help but smile as he shook his head. "What flavor do you not like?" he teased, and Bloom scowled at him before sticking out her tongue at him. His smile widened into a grin as he reached out and tapped her nose, stating, "No need for that. It's chocolate."

A mixture of something warm and something unidentifiable sparked in Bloom's eyes, and Sky's breath caught in his throat at the same time he heard Bloom's breath catch. His mouth went dry and his heart started pounding, and he found himself leaning forward.

However, that was when Bloom snapped out of it and took a sip of the milkshake as she leaned back against a tree. After a couple of sips, she handed the milkshake back to Sky, flashing him another smile. "Thanks. I've been thirsty, and I've been in that crouched position for over an hour. Muse and Riv are a bit overkill with this stuff."

"It's not a problem. I'm glad I could make your night at least a little better," Sky answered, shrugging as he finally opted to sit down instead of kneel.

Bloom nodded, and Sky noted that she was nervous since she was chewing on her lower lip. He didn't say anything and she finally spoke up. "Uhm, I wanted to thank you for the gift... Even though I think you spent too much money on that, and I would have definitely settled for an autographed picture of Jodi Benson and Christopher Daniel Barnes, but... It was really nice of you to get a kind of photo album made..." She trailed off slightly, and Sky noticed she was blushing.

Grinning, he looked at her sidelong. "You know, if you want to thank me, a kiss on the cheek would do," he teased, trying to dispel the tension by making such a ridiculous statement.

He didn't actually expect her to _do it_.

Bloom laughed and shook her head before she leaned forward and brushed her lips lightly against his cheek before she leaned back. Sky stilled, feeling his face heat up and his eyes widen. He barely registered Bloom's stifled giggle, and he found he couldn't really care how stupid he looked at that moment.

She had kissed him. Sure, it was only on the cheek, but it had been voluntarily done on her part. And damn if it didn't make his heart race as a slight giddiness built in him.

He finally looked over at her, glowing, and his eyes said everything. Bloom only laughed and shook her head, a light blush tinting her cheeks.

However, at the same moment she felt relieved for two different reasons. One was that the look she had received from Sky was more than she had ever thought to hope for during her "crushing" phase, and the other...

The other relief was that he'd been in his own little world when she'd been watching him with her heart in her eyes, so her secret was still safe. From everyone. But it was definitely safe from Sky, and she wanted it to stay that way until she was sure it was fully reciprocated.

Because there were several things Bloom didn't enjoy, and unrequited love from her crush of nearly two years was one of those things.

* * *

"I'm going to freshen up." The statement was made out of the blue, and it was Stella's cue to go to the restroom.

"I'll be back shortly. That's my signal," Stella sighed as she stood from her stakeout spot behind the tree. She stretched before she smiled at Brandon and walked to the entrance of the restaurant.

Shortly after she entered the bathroom, she was met with a pacing Tecna. "Whoa, girl, calm down. I thought things were going really well."

"They are. I just don't know what to do about the kiss. He's been stumbling over his words all night, and I highly doubt a kiss is going to happen," Tecna sighed, placing her hands flat on the bathroom counter. She frowned at herself in the mirror, and that was when Stella sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Tecna, has no one ever told you that the guy doesn't always have to initiate the first kiss?" Stella queried. She knew it was more standard for the guy to make the "First Kiss" move, but with how Timmy was acting, it would be a looong wait. "I know it's not really conventional, but Timmy's too worried that he'll screw up, and it's obvious he can't read the signals you're giving him, so... it's all on you now. Get him to take you home and walk you to your door, and then stall him long enough to kiss him."

Tecna's frown deepened as she considered Stella's words, and she picked at stray strings on Timmy's coat as she thought. "But what if I can't do it?"

"Well, with an attitude like that, you won't, but either way, there will be more dates. And if not tonight, then maybe next time. Besides, who knows, maybe Brandon could have a talk with Timmy about your relationship **(5)**," Stella answered, shrugging. "All I know is – you get to decide what happens tonight. Your choice." After that, Stella started out the door. "Make sure he knows to drive you home. I'm off, so you won't get a ride from me. Good luck!" With one last encouraging smile, Stella was gone.

Tecna sighed softly, looking at her reflection. "My choice, huh?" A wry smile quirked her lips. "Too bad I don't know what that is."

* * *

Things had been going great for Helia. He and Flora had gone the whole night without any embarrassing mishaps, and he'd even snuck a few slightly intimate touches into the mix and received an enchanting blush from Flora each time.

And then he'd started noticing they weren't really alone.

The first time he'd noticed it, he'd mostly ignored it because, even though he'd sworn he'd heard Sky's voice, since it _was _Sky, it didn't worry him since the blonde was likely on a date.

However, the more the night progressed, the more paranoid he became and the more he started to notice things. Eventually it got to the point where he couldn't stand it anymore. Stopping in his tracks, Helia turned around, glaring at the surrounding area. "Okay, whichever ones of you are following us, you need to come out here this instant." His voice was deathly calm and under-toned by a slight hint of anger.

The two people who revealed themselves weren't a surprise. What was surprising was that they were alone.

Musa registered his look quickly. "Bloom ditched us to flirt with Sky," was her simple explanation – one Riven didn't seem too happy about.

"How long have you been spying on us?" Flora gasped, her eyes wide and her face flushed.

"However long your date has been," Riven answered, shrugging. "I told Helia I'd be watching **(6)**."

Helia smiled slightly. "I thought that was what you said, but I wasn't sure," he admitted. Flora looked stricken for a moment, still surprised that Riven, Musa, and Bloom had originally been following her and Helia – and she hadn't even thought anything out of the ordinary was happening. Didn't most people feel it when they were being watched?

But since Helia seemed okay with it and had (apparently) been kind of expecting it, _and _since he had realized it before now, she supposed it was okay and it shouldn't have surprised her. This _was_ Riven and Bloom she was dealing with – and Musa just naturally fit in with their group.

"So it looks to me like you two have been having an excellent night," Musa stated, grinning at Flora, who immediately blushed.

"We have, thank you. Have I passed your inspection yet, Riven?" Helia queried, a brow quirked.

Riven didn't answer for a long moment. Then he shrugged. "You passed when you made the first move and initiated the first kiss in one day without scaring Flora off. This is just me being close at hand if Flora tries to push you away or something and needs backup." If anyone was surprised by what Riven said, they didn't show it.

"Okay, so, we're going to go back to creeping on you two, and you can go back to your date. See you at school on Monday!" Musa told them both as she and Riven disappeared into the surrounding trees.

"I think they like each other," Helia murmured after a long pause.

Flora studied the tree they'd disappeared behind. "Maybe..." Turning to him, she smiled. "So, now that we know they're watching, what're we going to do?"

Helia grinned, eyes glinting. "We're going to act like they aren't," he answered simply, lowering his head to kiss her softly.

* * *

"Wow. Helia sure got lucky there near the end. I never thought Flora would be okay with being kissed in public – I was willing to bet she would freak," Musa told Riven as he drover her home. Flora and Helia's date had ended recently, and since Bloom had gone to Flora's, they had told Riven to take Musa home. Thus, they were in Riven's car, and she had just ventured to break the silence that had fallen over them.

It didn't work. Riven merely grunted to show he heard, and a few minutes later he was pulling into her driveway. Musa and her father lived in a fair-sized home – probably a little bigger than the house he, his sister, and his parents lived in. Though it wasn't a mansion, the fact that two people lived in a house bigger than his four-person-family was enough to remind him of the stark contrast between him and Musa. It also reminded Riven that, for him, Musa was _not_ available.

"Well," the pig-tailed girl sighed as the car came to a stop. "Thank you for driving me home." She unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car. She had made it almost to the edge of her driveway when she turned around and headed back to the car. The driver's window rolled down, revealing the burgundy-haired boy looking at her questioningly.

Musa reached into her bag and pulled out something. "I almost forgot," she told him, a smile curving her lips. She reached for Riven's hand and placed something in it before closing his hand into a loose fist. "Happy Valentine's Day~" With that farewell, she turned and headed for her front door.

Riven uncurled his fingers and found a smirk forming on his face at the sight of the item.

In his hand, wrapped in silver foil, was a Hershey Kiss **(7)**.

* * *

"I can't believe you dragged me out here," Brandon stated with a shake of his head. "Don't you think you're taking this a bit too far?"

Stella frowned, daring to peek over the hedge at the two who were standing on the front porch bidding each other farewell. "I wanted to witness her decision. Is that so wrong?"

"No, but it's not really nice to intrude on their private time." Brandon had a point, Stella knew, but she really did mean well.

"You're right," she sighed after a long moment, "but – oh. My. God! That's my girl!" Stella exclaimed, and she almost jumped up, but Brandon's hand caught her wrist, and he yanked her into a kiss. She knew it was mainly meant to keep her quiet, but she couldn't bring herself to care as she kissed him back. It was an excellent choice of distraction on his part, and she couldn't blame him for not wanting to get caught.

So instead of worrying over his motives, Stella sank into the kiss to enjoy it.

* * *

Ten yards away, a few minutes earlier, Tecna and Timmy came to a stop on Tecna's porch at her front door. After a short moment of awkward silence, Timmy spoke up, "I really enjoyed tonight."

Tecna smiled up at him, nodding. "I did, too. Excellent choice for dinner and for the movie," she complimented him.

Timmy shifted awkwardly at the praise and cleared his throat. "Well, I guess this is when we say our parting words and go our separate ways."

Tecna smiled and shook her head lightly, trying to stall a little to see if she was ready to make the, as Stella put it, "First Kiss Move." She had tried no to really think about the situation, and thus she still didn't know what she really wanted. It was hard to follow her heart when it was giving mixed signals.

"So, uh, good night, Tecna. I will see you on Monday," Timmy said awkwardly, making to move off the porch.

Instinctively, Tecna reached out a hand and stopped him. When Timmy blinked at her, she swallowed nervously before rocking onto her toes to press her lips against his. She felt him stiffen in surprise, and she lingered there as she waited for him to respond.

And then he was kissing her back, and everything was thrown to the wind. She couldn't help herself as her arms slid easily and comfortably around his neck, and she rejoiced inside as he shifted closer, his arms circling her waist.

The kiss was rather chaste, of course, but it was more than enough for the two to gain a high from it. They parted only to rest their foreheads against each other's, both of them relishing the moment. Both of them wondering why it had taken so long, and both of them knowing it wouldn't have felt right if it had been any earlier. Smiles graced both their faces as they looked at each other.

After a long silence, Tecna spoke the words that had been long coming – but as she couldn't make herself speak English, she resorted to her grandparents' heritage **(8)**. "Je t'aime **(9)**." The words were whispered, but they easily carried their full weight and intent.

Timmy felt warmth envelope him, a feeling he commonly felt with Tecna growing bigger. It welled up inside him until he had not choice but to voice it. "Je t'aime, Tecna," he whispered – warmly, adoringly – before he lowered his head to kiss her – softly, sweetly, and so full of love that they were flying too high to care they weren't alone.

All that mattered at that moment was their long moment of shared bliss.

* * *

**1 - I know, I know, this is probably so not Tecna, but I really want to keep her character from being too "techy" like they make her in the show. It just throws it all off. Besides, if anyone was going to say that, it'd be Tecna, and you guys all know it. Lol.**

**2 - Stella's just so intuitive when it comes to guys, isn't she? I mean, she was spot-on with that statement. I didn't notice it until after I typed up the chapter.**

**3 - Haha. Yes, if you couldn't tell this was like the Helia thing from the last chapter - I totally forgot about the package. So I made Stell notice it and the other girls forget it because of the scoop they were getting on Bloom and Sky. ;)**

**4 - So original, no? It's basically Steak 'n Shake. I just felt like calling it The Diner since I didn't want any copyright stuff in this (minus WC characters).**

**5 - Strain of the original WC. I'm amazing with that stuff, right? If you don't remember, Timmy did ask Brandon for advice on dating in (I _think_, and Sarah, correct me if I'm wrong) Season Two, somewhere.**

**6 - This is a reference to Chapter Eight. If you don't remember, maybe you should read it again.**

**7 - Sorry, guys, but I hope you didn't think there'd be a real kiss in there. I felt bad for leaving them out at first, and then it hit me to do that. Hope you liked the twist there. ^^**

**8 - As you may have guessed, I made this up, but I totally think Tecna could have some French genes (and in this she does). Just sayin'. ;o**

**9 - "Je t'aime," if you can't guess, means "I love you" in French (look at above A/N). It's pronounced "joo tem" with the "j" making a soft "g" sound, like in "mirage," and then the "oo" like "food." Then "t'aime" is pronounced like "them" without the "h," obviously. Lol.**

So, that's it for this installment, guys! If I had time, I'd get in some review responses, but I'll try to edit this and do that tomorrow. It's 12:30 am right now, and I need to get up early in the morning so my friends and I can go attack some of our middle school teachers, just to show them how much we love them (by interrupting their classes). We hope it will work, but if not, we can always sneak around the back and go in through the band room. ;D But you guys didn't see that because that's a horrible thing to do. -Coughcough.-

Well, maybe next time Sarah will be with me when I update since I got past the devil chapter (this thing took me way too long to plan, seriously - I couldn't get anything to work the way I wanted to and had to reinvent Timmy's and Tecna's characters several times). Next up is going to be...

Actually, I'm not going to tell you because I want it to be a complete surprise. Sorry, you guys~ :)

_**THE DYNAMIC DUO IS SIGNING OUT!**_

(I don't remember our signature, so this is the new one, Sarah. Fyi. Hope you like~ XD)


	10. Kiss Scenes Suck

_Disclaimer: If I'm only capable of posting my works on a fansite, then I'm pretty sure I don't own anything._

Well, hello there, dears! No, your eyes are not deceiving you. This is actually me, making an update. (Two, technically, since chapter 11 is being posted as well.) After two very long years, I've finally managed to climb over the massive writing block I had during this chapter. And after going back to delve into my notes (which were depressingly meager notes since I apparently thought I'd remember with just some stupid keywords) I realized that half the stuff I had planned out was... ridiculous. There was honestly no need for me to leave it the way I had it planned because there was _nothing _I could do in the supposed sequel; it would have been utterly pointless. So, things have changed with my little plotlines, and I have more of a basis for what I want to have happen for the second half of the story~ I'm actually more excited about what I have planned out now, so hopefully it'll be easier for me to get this thing updated regularly, and hopefully you guys will enjoy it!

I honestly don't have that much to say, since I've already explained my lengthy absence (though I should probably mention college does not make for easy spare time to write). I'll answer reviews at the end, as always. And Sarah was the one who kicked my ass into gear when she was over. She's been working on editing her one story, so she made me work on mine. So you guys owe this to her, mostly. She's also the one who's helped me reform my ideas.

I can't think of what else, but I feel like I'm forgetting something... Oh~! Duh. [/smacks head] I've completely gotten rid of the original chapter five. I did not want to deal with the rewrite of a chapter that was mostly music, so feel free to think up whatever you want about the music they sang (though I doubt you'll get anywhere close to the song titles I had since I have a very diverse music taste, lol). Nearly everything I had prior to this chapter has already been edited to reflect the deletion, so if this is your first time reading, don't worry about too many discrepancies. c;

One last thing before I let you guys read: I have a Twitter account. It's the same username as my penname on here (TotallyLori), so if you want, you can follow me (but tweet/mention me to let me know who you are and that you're from here so that I'll follow you back). If I get enough people from here, I'll try to make updates on what I'm doing story-wise (since I seriously do nothing on Twitter as it is). And if you don't have an account on here, I'd even be able to tell you when I update it. But that's only if you guys want to. [/shrugs] I'm just trying to get use out of that rather useless account, lol.

Well, without further ado, let the story continue~ C:

* * *

Chapter x: Kiss Scenes Suck

"Thank you so much, Bloom. I know it's kind of last minute, but I figured there's not much else I can do. Are you sure your group will be okay with this?" Ms. Cooper queried, going from relieved to worried... again.

"I promise, Ms. Cooper. They'll probably think it's great fun that we're going separately from the rest of the cast. Probably think they're special. And Riven prefers to drive everywhere anyway," Bloom reassured the drama teacher.

Ms. Cooper sighed, nodding. "If you're sure... I mean, I've already gotten permission from administration, but I'll need parents' signatures from everyone who is going in this. I thought of your group because it's a perfect number since there are eleven extras for the third bus."

"Ms. Cooper, I'm sure it will be fine. Just calm down. You have more important things to worry about than this. And didn't you say you had something you needed to do?" Bloom queried, trying to get the woman out of panic mode.

"You're right!" Ms. Cooper exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "Thank you so much, Bloom. I really don't know what I'd do without you." With that, Ms. Cooper left, leaving Bloom in peace.

Shaking her head, Bloom turned to the computer. "Yeah, I wonder about that a lot. I don't know what you'll do when I'm not here to help..."

Thus began the redhead's search for an eleven-passenger vehicle. She had made little to no headway on it when a voice interrupted her thoughts. "Where's Ms. Cooper?"

She jumped, her head whipping around to look at the blonde. "Jesus, Sky. You scared me half to death," Bloom murmured, putting a hand over her racing heart.

Sky smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Bloom. It wasn't intentional."

"I know. But still," she replied vaguely, shrugging. "Anyway, what did you need?"

"Ms. Cooper told me to come here during the middle of last period. But she's obviously not here..." Sky answered, shifting awkwardly.

"You may as well take a seat, then," Bloom sighed, gesturing to the empty seat beside her.

Sky obliged, making himself comfortable. "So, what're you doing in here? What class are you skipping?"

Bloom laughed, glancing at him with glowing eyes. "Where have you been, Blondie? Everyone in the group knows my last period is Internship with Ms. Cooper. It's technically her plan period, but I'll help her with putting in grades and straightening up and stuff."

Sky blinked in shock. How had he _not _known that? And when did their whole group find out? He felt left out, but Bloom didn't allow him to sulk for long.

"And at the moment I'm looking for an automobile for eleven people. Ms. Cooper can't afford another charter bus for only eleven students, so I said our group would be okay with an alternative. It will require parent signatures, but I thought our group would enjoy it," Bloom explained.

Sky blinked again, surprised by the news. "Who all knows?"

"You. I just now found out myself, which is why I'm just now looking. I thought it best to go ahead and hunt one down, even though technically you have to be twenty-five to rent a vehicle... But so long as Riven doesn't get us pulled over, we're good," Bloom stated offhandedly as she clicked on a site link.

Sky stared at her. "So we're doing something illegal."

"Well, apparently the school board is _allowing_ it, so if anyone gets in trouble, it will more than likely be them." She was saying all this as if it were obvious, when it was one of the craziest schemes Sky had ever heard. He was just about to comment on her nonchalance when Bloom exclaimed, "Yes! I found one!" Jumping up, she snatched up a ring of keys, picked one out easily, and turned to unlock the nearby cabinet. Sky watched, dumbfounded, as she rifled through a purse and pulled out a card. Leaving the key in the lock, she returned to the seat and started filling out the information.

"Wh-what are you doing!?" Sky choked, his eyes wide.

Bloom didn't even glance up. "I'm filling out the deposit form."

"B-but Ms. Cooper—" He stopped speaking as Bloom looked up at him, smiling. It was slightly disarming, and he found he couldn't look away.

"Sky, I think you saw just how simple that was for me. I've obviously done it frequently, and I'd been given permission to use her card when I found a decent rental car that didn't look like a van a kidnapper would drive. Calm down," she told him patiently, patting his arm before getting up and returning the card to its original place. After relocking the cabinet, she returned to her seat and glanced at Sky before laughing.

Sky felt his face flush as he muttered, "What?"

"Nothing. You just looked so cute when you thought I was doing something wrong," the redhead answered simply, shrugging.

Her sentence would have made things awkward if Ms. Cooper hadn't arrived. "Hey, good, you're still here! We have an important scene to do today, and since I knew it'd be too embarrassing during rehearsals, I thought we'd do it now, during your last periods," Ms. Cooper explained Sky's call out of class almost immediately.

"And what scene is this?" Bloom asked, and Sky could hear a note of worry in her voice.

"When Penny kisses Seaweed on live television. We need the quote and the kiss recorded for the play," Ms. Cooper answered without inflection.

Both teens glanced awkwardly at each other, and the same thought flitted through their minds: _'Shit...'_

* * *

"Bloom, you're supposed to grab his face and kiss him after you say the line," Ms. Cooper sighed. "We don't have much time if you want to get this finished before rehearsal."

"I can't help it—it's awkward and... and he ate onions for lunch!" Bloom complained, grasping for anything she could as an excuse.

Sky sighed in frustration and embarrassment. "You already made me brush my teeth for ten minutes. I don't know what else I can do."

Bloom frowned at herself since the onions weren't what was bothering her. It was mostly the fact that she was trying to muster up the courage to kiss the guy she'd liked since sometime in Freshman year. It didn't even help that they were both dressed up in their costumes, either, though by all accounts that _should _have helped.

With a sigh Bloom chewed nervously on her lower lip before she whispered, "I'm sorry, Sky. I know this is awkward for you, too, and I'm not helping. This is just difficult for me to do consciously... if that makes any sense." She attempted a smile, but it was rather pitiful.

Sky smiled softly, reaching over and taking her hands in his. "I understand. Really, I do. But think of it this way: if we don't do it now, then we'll have to do it in front of everyone else. Keep in mind that will include Riven, Stella, and Diaspro, as well as all our other friends who would make in ten times more awkward for us on _purpose_. So which scenario would you prefer? This one or the one I just spoke of?" the blonde boy questioned softly and warmly.

Bloom managed to smile back, answering easily, "This one—since I have to choose." Looking at Ms. Cooper, Bloom nodded and then turned her body at a slight angle, waiting for Ms. Cooper's signal. When she received that signal, Bloom cleared her throat and then spoke her line, "I am now a checkerboard chick!" She then turned and had just pulled Sky towards her when the bell rang, startling the two teens.

And then they spoke in unison, defeat in their voices. "Damn it." **(1)**

* * *

"Ms. Cooper, can't we just do this in the classroom while everyone gets on with the rehearsal? Tecna can do the video and give us our cues," Bloom explained, trying to reason with the drama teacher.

Said woman sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Bloom, but I cannot allow two students to be alone after school hours when they are supposed to be under my supervision."

"But if we had Tecna there, we wouldn't be alone," Sky pointed out rationally.

"Tecna is not a member of the staff at this school. It wouldn't count. And before you suggest I leave all these students in here for a few minutes, that's an even bigger 'no,' Bloom."

Bloom sighed before making on last attempt: "Can't we just do it tomorrow?"

Ms. Cooper frowned, shaking her head slowly. "I'm sorry, but I won't be here for the rest of the week. My father died, and I have to help with the funeral arrangements. He lived out of state—up in Virginia. I won't be holding any rehearsals until Monday, and that's when we need to do our full run-through. Then we'll get nitpicky, and the week after is Spring Break. We will then have all of two weeks before our first performance. So my preference would be to have this done today."

Bloom was stunned by what she'd heard, and she nodded dumbly. "Y-yeah, all right. We'll do it," she stammered. Ms. Cooper smiled slightly. "And... I'm sorry to hear that about your dad. Really."

Ms. Cooper chuckled dryly, putting a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I know; thanks. Now come on, you two. May as well get your awkward first kiss scene in front of the cast over with, right?"

Bloom and Sky shared a glance, and the blonde murmured, "Yeah. Right..."

* * *

A few minutes later, students were assigned their tasks, and Bloom and Sky were relatively alone as Ms. Cooper set up the camera. Of course, "relatively" didn't mean anything when it involved the nine others standing around them.

"Don't you guys have something better to do?" Sky groused, shifting around awkwardly. He mainly wanted Diaspro to go away since he'd heard her disapproval in regard to this several times before.

"Not if it's what we think it is," Stella answered with a grin.

"What do we think it is?" Riven inquired gruffly, though the look on his face sure seemed like he knew.

Stella sighed exasperatedly. "The kiss scene between Penny and Seaweed on television, Riven. It has to be shot before the performance."

The expression that formed on Riven's face could only be described as murderous, and Sky felt the blood drain from his face.

"Riven, why don't you just wait in the hallway? We'll call you back in here when it's done," Bloom suggested, smiling placatingly. The burgundy-haired male muttered a few choice words but did as his sister asked and went to the door that led to the hallway. He shot Sky a dark look as he opened the door, and then he walked out. Bloom sighed softly before smiling sheepishly at Sky. "Sorry about Riven. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the fact that his little sister is about to kiss someone," she murmured quietly so that Sky was the only one to hear it. **(2)**

Sky smiled and shook his head. "It's fine," he whispered back. "Riven's actually the lesser of two evils." To him, that was true. Diaspro was not going to be fun to deal with, and he wouldn't put it past her to find some convoluted way to blame Bloom for this. He wished he knew a way to keep Diaspro from overreacting, but ever since the incident at his house, the cream blonde had been more annoying and clingy than usual. But he couldn't exactly blame her—he had been more distant these past few weeks, all because of a red-haired girl with turquoise eyes.

And now he was about to kiss her, and even though it was for a play, he knew he would be enjoying it just a bit too much. Dread settled in Sky's stomach as he turned to face Bloom. "It's too bad we don't have the option of kicking them all out," he muttered.

Bloom grinned and quirked a brow. "But then we'd miss our chance to practice not caring about having people watch us," she teased quietly.

Music suddenly blasted through the auditorium, and both Sky and Bloom jumped. It took a couple of seconds for it to dawn on them exactly what song was playing, and Bloom rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh as Sky gritted out, "Musa, I'm going to kill you."

Bloom took off toward the sound room, throwing the door open. Sure enough, the raven-haired girl was in there, but the redhead ignored Musa as she walked to the sound board and turned it off. Then, she looked at Musa. "Get your iPhone and get out, Musa," Bloom ordered tiredly. She seriously was not in the mood for this after the last hour they had basically wasted. Musa cocked her head slightly before frowning and doing what she'd been told. The redhead followed, shutting the door behind them as they walked back to the stage. "Why don't you go wait just outside with Riven? Make sure he doesn't skip out of here."

Musa looked like she wanted to protest, but she kept her mouth shut and went along with it, walking out the nearest door.

Bloom moved to stand beside Sky again, tightening one of her pigtails as they waited for Ms. Cooper's cue. A moment later, the drama teacher spoke up. "You two ready?"

"Less ready than we were about half an hour ago, but yeah—I think we're ready," Bloom answered, and Sky flashed her a grin as he nodded. Ms. Cooper held up a hand and started a countdown on her fingers, and Bloom paused for a short second before exclaiming, "I am now a checkerboard chick!" And for the umpteenth time that day, she grabbed a hold of Sky's face and pulled it towards hers. She felt her breath catch involuntarily in her throat before her lips touched his, and she briefly worried that he might have heard it. But then she felt warm lips against hers, and she honestly didn't care anymore. The kiss was mild and slightly unsure, but it sent a pleasant warmth through her that stirred up emotions she really didn't want to think about.

Sky's head was spinning and his heart was beating wildly in his chest as he felt Bloom's lips move against his. He barely suppressed a groan as something in him roared in triumph, and heat spread through him. His hands twitched as he fought the urge to pull her closer and take control, but some part of his mind was still thinking rationally, and he knew it would be a very stupid thing to do. And then she was pulling away, and he had to suppress a whimper at the loss.

As per the script, Bloom opened her eyes and finished the scene by smiling softly at him, her fingers lightly grazing his jaw as she slipped her hands from his face. She then took a step back from him and looked over at her instructor with a concerned expression. Her nerves were going absolutely haywire, and she wasn't sure she could do that again with the same amount of composure.

Ms. Cooper was grinning as she stopped the camera, and she rushed around it to pull first Bloom and then Sky into a hug (separately). "That was perfect, you two! I _knew_ I made the right decision in casting you as these two!" she exclaimed, brimming with excitement.

They both flushed from the praise, and Bloom cleared her throat. "Thanks, Ms. Cooper. Can we, uh, change back into our normal attire now?"

Ms. Cooper nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, of course, of course! Go on ahead—and tell Musa and Riven to get back in here, would you?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sky answered, smiling. "And thank you, ma'am." The two teens turned to hurry out of the auditorium before their friends could make any comments, but they stopped short just in the hallway. "Um, Ms. Cooper?" Sky called back into the auditorium over his shoulder. The teacher "hmm"ed as she turned around to face him. "Musa and Riven are... gone."

* * *

***roughly five minutes prior***

Musa huffed as she exited the auditorium, her azure eyes shifting down to the seated boy leaned against the wall. He quirked a brow and smirked. "They kicked you out, too?"

Musa nodded as she leaned against the wall opposite him, staying standing. "I tried playing 'Kiss the Girl' to set the mood, but Bloom didn't seem to happy about it."

It was silent for a moment before Riven answered, "She's been stressed these past two weeks." Musa snorted since that explanation was a bit lacking. "And—at risk of sounding like a woman—she's actually been really nervous about this since she finally realized she'd had a huge crush on him before this musical shit even started. That's why I haven't been very approving of what's gone on between those two. As long as Diaspro's in the picture, my little sister's gonna be hurt."

Musa kept quiet, cocking her head as she studied the older boy. He seemed genuinely worried about how this whole thing was going to end, and it was rather endearing. But he didn't need to concern himself just yet since there was always a possibility that things _wouldn't_ end horribly. That was when when she made a split-second decision to try and distract him. Pushing off the wall, she sighed, "I'm going to assume we have about sixty seconds to book it out of here. I was told to make sure you didn't skip, but I'm not particularly interested in hanging here myself. You can stay if you want, but I'm going to get an early dinner." With a little wave, she took off in a slight jog down the hallway.

Riven contemplated the pros and cons of going with her for a couple of seconds before he jumped up and ran after her. As he rounded the corner, he came face to face with the raven-haired girl; her lips curved in a smile as she started walking backwards.

"So," she chirped, cocking her head at him inquisitively. "Where are we going?"

Riven took a moment to debate before he smirked. "Just follow me."

* * *

"I'm so excited!" Stella whispered to the five other students with her. "I can't wait to ask Bloom how it was!" She was jittery, and it was obvious she was having difficulty not jumping up and hunting the redhead down at that exact moment.

The others, however, did not share her excitement. "I don't think that's a good idea, Stella," Flora whispered back, worrying her lower lip between her teeth.

"What are you talking about, Flora? I thought you were with me on the Skloom bus!" Stella pouted. **(3)**

Flora frowned, fidgeting with her hands. "I _am _with you, Stella. But I don't think that situation was comfortable for either of them, and definitely not for Bloom. You saw how nervous she was about it."

"And don't forget that it was really supposed to be a fake kiss—it technically wasn't supposed to mean anything to them," Tecna pointed out.

Stella sighed exasperatedly. "I think all of you are missing the point."

Brandon put a hand on the blonde girl's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Stell, we all think _you're _missing the point," he murmured gently. The blonde girl frowned, her brows furrowing. "They were recorded for their first, awkward kiss—and as if that's not bad enough, it was done in front of most of their friends and Sky's actual girlfriend. Crush or not, that's not how anyone imagines their first kiss with someone, whether it's really their _first _kiss or not."

"You keep speaking as though Bloom has never kissed someone before," Helia murmured, somewhat curious.

"Technically, she's had her first kiss, but we don't really like to count anything prior to high school," Stella explained.

Helia looked like he didn't fully understand, but he nodded anyway.

"Whatever the case, I think it's safe to say neither Sky nor Bloom is going to be happy about this, so it's probably best we avoid the subject," Timmy summarized, and five pairs of eyes turned to Stella.

Said girl sighed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "All right, all right. Fine, I won't ask either of them about it."

* * *

Bloom sighed softly as she finished brushing out her hair before she dropped the brush into her bag. With a slight frown, she leaned her head down onto the desk in front of her and closed her eyes. She really didn't want to go back into the auditorium to finish up rehearsal—that would be nearly two more hours of putting up with all her friends and the other students and, of course, Diaspro. A flash of pain made her wince, and she wished she could just make it all go away—wished she could go back and avoid joining the musical at all. Granted, if she did that, she wouldn't have so many new friends. And if she were to be completely honest with herself, she enjoyed hanging out with Sky, even if just as friends. It was mainly the whole "love interest" debacle in the musical that was causing all the issues.

A soft knock had her picking her head up, and she watched as the door opened slightly. Sky's voice called out, "Bloom?" He didn't seem like he was planning on moving into the room, and she smiled to herself. He was a lot more genteel than most people gave him credit for.

"Come on in, Sky—I'm decent," she replied to his unspoken question. The door opened more, and Bloom quirked a brow as she caught sight of Sky's still mostly-brown complexion.

He cleared his throat, shuffling awkwardly, and Bloom imagined he was likely blushing. "I'm having some difficulties getting the rest of this off," he admitted, making a vague gesture towards his face. **(4)**

Bloom laughed softly. "Yeah, I kinda noticed. Come over here and sit down." She motioned briefly to the desk nearby before she picked up her bag and started rifling through it for her pack of Nivea make up removing wipes. She made a triumphant noise after she found them, and then she stood up, her gaze shifting to the blonde. "Move your hair for me, will you? I doubt you got it all off the back of your neck, given the state of what you _could_ see," she teased lightly as he did as she asked and held his blonde locks off his neck. "These wipes are cold," she warned before placing it against his skin.

Sky didn't respond as he felt the wet cloth wipes rubbing gently against his skin. Part of him thought he should have asked someone else, but he wasn't ready to face any of his friends yet, and he definitely wasn't ready to deal with his girlfriend. He figured Bloom probably felt the same way, so in a way he was helping them both delay what was likely the inevitable. He huffed out a quiet sigh and closed his eyes, trying to relax even though that was highly unlikely given the fact that Bloom was cleaning the back of his neck. Come to think of it, they were both being oddly quiet, and it kind of felt wrong even though they'd just gone through a situation that had been extremely awkward for them. He opened his eyes and prepared to say something—anything, really—when he saw Bloom shift into his periphery before she moved to perch on the desk.

Sky blinked in surprise, looking up at her and feeling his face flush. He'd never be so thankful for the makeup that covered his face ever again. She certainly didn't help things when she reached up and gripped his chin softly but firmly. He felt his pulse spike, and he forced himself to breathe evenly so he didn't make the moment more awkward than it already was. Bloom seemed oblivious to how it was affecting him as she applied pressure to one side of his jaw to encourage him to turn his head. She methodically cleaned his face, tucking his hair behind his ears when it got in the way. She left his face alone from his eyes up at the moment and forced his chin up so she could finish cleaning off his neck. They were quiet the entire time, which was fine with Sky since he wasn't sure he could have spoken. It probably would have (at best) been an unintelligible croak.

After pulling lightly on his chin so he'd tilt his head back to its prior position, Bloom ordered softly, "Close your eyes."

Sky swallowed roughly and did as she asked while his heart continued to slam against his ribs as he felt her gently rubbing the make up off his eyelids. He kept them closed even as she cleaned his brow and forehead, and he clenched his hands into fists as she pushed his blonde locks back off his forehead to clean along his hairline. He dared to open one eye as she removed her hand from the top of his head. "Are you done?" he whispered hoarsely.

Bloom laughed. "Yes. Seaweed Stubbs is no more," she announced, and without warning she fixed his hair, pulling the locks free from his ears and brushing them out with her fingers. He bit back a strangled noise as her fingers accidentally grazed against his jaw and neck, and all his muscles tensed. Damn it, how did she _not _know what she was doing to him? "There." She sounded satisfied with her work, and she smiled at him, her eyes glowing warmly.

If she didn't move away from him in the next ten seconds, he was going to do something stupid—like kiss her until they were both senseless. He released a harsh breath at the thought, and multiple images and emotions crashed into him. "Bloom," he managed to croak out breathlessly in warning. He saw her eyes darken and her pupils dilate before she completely registered the situation, and he felt heat curling in his abdomen in response—no girl should be allowed to look at a guy like that. She suddenly darted up and halfway across the room, and he took a few deep, shaky breaths as he rubbed his face with his hands.

Bloom watched him from afar, her heart pounding and her body tingling with warmth. This situation between them was getting slightly ridiculous—she was tired of having to tiptoe around him and having to put a stop to things when they got a bit out of hand. Frowning, she walked back over to him, leaning against a desk diagonal to the one he was sitting in. "I'm sorry," she spoke softly. He raised his head to look at her in confusion. "I wasn't thinking, and that was absolutely not fair to you. I should have been paying more attention."

Sky frowned and shook his head. "It's not your fault." At the look on her face, he managed a slight smile before he amended, "Well, at least, not completely or directly. I should have said something to you. So there's no need for you to apologize." Besides, it was mostly his fault they were in this predicament. He'd actually attempted to break things off with Diaspro a few times, but it never seemed to be the right timing—and he honestly didn't want to hurt her over another girl. Of course, he needed to do something about it soon since Bloom definitely didn't deserve to go through this. Something needed to give until he could properly deal with the situation.

Bloom was silent, though the look on her face led him to believe that she wanted to argue with him. He pushed himself up from the desk into a standing position before he leaned against it. They both needed some sort of distraction. "I have an idea of something we could do since I'm sure we're both dreading the thought of going back in there to deal with everyone."

The redhead managed to smile and ask, "Oh? And what idea is that?"

"I think it's time to find out where both our relatives went because we both know they're skipping together," Sky answered.

Bloom laughed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She dialed Musa's number and waited patiently for the raven-haired girl to pick up.

"Hello...?" An unsure greeting hit her ears, and she grinned.

"Hey, Muse. I was wondering where you and Riven ran off to so I could join the skip party."

The girl sounded surprised as she answered, "Really?" Bloom vaguely heard Riven saying something in the background but she couldn't make it out. "Well, to be honest, I'm not sure where we are. It's someplace your brother dragged me to."

Bloom immediately knew where, and she laughed softly as her gaze locked with Sky's. "I know where you are. Do you mind telling your waitress you have two more people coming?"

* * *

After having eaten dinner, the four teens split into pairs to head home. **(5)** Sky was driving Musa home since she was currently staying with him (again), and Riven was driving Bloom since they were going to the same house (obviously).

Musa had been quiet for about ten minutes when she finally broke the silence. "So, you and Bloom shot a kiss scene today. How did that work out for you?"

Sky scowled, muttering, "I think skipping practice should answer that for you."

Musa hummed to show she agreed, and she was quiet for a couple more minutes. "Look, there's not an easy way for me to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. You either need to break up with Diaspro or keep away from Bloom because what you're doing is totally unfair to her. We've been talking a lot recently, and I can't let you keep hurting her. I don't know if that kiss this afternoon has just really upset her or what, but she was looking so broken this evening that_ I _was hurting. She's not a toy you can keep trying out until your old one breaks, Sky. Her 'batteries' can't be replaced if they get drained from being used over and over again. I know you don't _want_ to hurt her, but... you're doing a shitty job of _not_ doing it. So just think over your options and _fix it_." When Sky opened his mouth to speak, she raised a hand. "No, be quiet. I don't want to hear what you've been thinking about doing, and I don't want you to apologize to me. I just want you to make a decision and act on it."

Sky frowned, but he kept quiet as Musa had ordered. Besides, what could he say, really? That he'd been thinking about it for _weeks_ and _still _felt indecisive about how to handle it? Yeah, _that _would go over _really_ well.

Unfortunately for him (and maybe even slightly fortunately) the decision was already being made for him. **(6)**

* * *

"Riven?" Bloom called softly, poking her head inside his room.

The burgundy-haired male picked his head up and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Can I come in? I wanted to talk to you about something." She worried her lower lip between her teeth before she saw him shrug and push himself up against his headboard. The redhead flashed a short smile before she closed the door behind her and settled comfortably on the end of his bed. "So... about this afternoon..."

Riven angled his head so he could study her. "Is this about Sky?"

Bloom smiled softly and shook her head. "No, it has nothing to do with the awkward kiss scene. Well, I guess it kind of does, but more-so what happened to you and Musa during it."

Riven sighed softly, leaning back fully against the headboard. "Bloom, we've discussed this before."

"No, _we _haven't. The last time I tried, you yelled and stormed out of the room, without letting me say anything about it," Bloom retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at the older male.

"Fine. Talk," Riven muttered, not really in the mood to argue with his little sister.

The redhead was slightly surprised, but she continued, "So, I think it's obvious you have feelings for Musa. Don't even try to deny it to me, Riv. I'm you're little sister, and I know you too well to buy that lie anymore. Besides, she likes you, too. A lot, actually, from what I've seen, which is why I want permission to talk to her about it. I know you don't believe me when I say she does, so I'd like to see if I can explain the situation and get _her _to tell you. But I'm only going to encourage her if she actually has a chance to make this... _thing _between you two go somewhere. If you aren't going to accept it when she _does_ tell you, then I'd like it if you would stop hanging out with her, just the two of you. It's not fair to either of you, and I will be sorely upset with you if you continue to lead Musa on and end up hurting her. Do you understand?" Riven nodded with raised eyebrows. "So—until you know for sure what you want to do, leave it alone. No more dates like the one I purposely interrupted with Sky this afternoon." With a smile, Bloom stood and stretched before starting to head to his door. "Thank you for listening to my concerns." She paused in her steps as she reached it, and looked over her shoulder back at him. "Good night, Riven. See you in the morning."

She'd already opened the door when Riven suddenly spoke up. "Bloom?" She glanced back at him to see he wasn't looking at her, and she waited patiently, the door halfway open. "You have my permission."

Sixteen years of living with Riven had helped Bloom's efficiency in quickly understanding him. She smiled warmly. "Thanks, Riv. You won't regret it!"

"Whatever. Just get out of my room," he ordered, but she could hear the grin in his voice.

She quickly retreated back to her room, grinning to herself. Now she just needed to figure out what all she _should _tell Musa about Riven and his experience with the first girl he'd ever loved. After all, he needed to feel like he could tell her _some _things on his own, at least.

With a frown, the redhead realized that this might end up being more work than she'd originally thought. But it would be worth it—Musa was probably the only girl she could trust to deal with Riven and care for him, flaws and all.

* * *

**(1) Oddly enough, _that _is where I stopped and had no idea what to do afterwards. So yeah, I had so much more to write. [/laughs]**

**(2) That is a lie, as you either will find out or should have found out (if you're reading these last) since it has just about everything to do with Sky and only a little to do with the fact that his sister is kissing someone.**

**(3) Yes, I did use the shipping name for Sky and Bloom. (At least, it should be their ship name; I've seen that it varies sometimes.) If nothing else, it's the ship name I use for them. I just think "Skloom" has a nice ring to it~**

**(4) If you've forgotten, they're not supposed to be alone. Ms. Cooper didn't think that through fully when she sent them to get changed out.**

**(5) I saw no use in writing them eating. There was nothing significant that could have happened. [/shrugs] So I just skipped over it.**

**(6) You likely will have no idea what I'm talking about _at all_ until the next chapter. This honestly wasn't planned to happen originally, but then I started talking to Sarah about how I didn't think I could stand to keep things drawn out with Bloom and Sky, so things are going to accelerate a good bit~ [/is giddy]**

All righty~ That's it for this chapter's notes. I can't think of anything else to say except that you guys are probably going to be... depressed while reading the next chapter. I ended up crying when I was writing it, but I hope it doesn't disappoint you in an, "I don't really wanna continue reading this" kind of way. Sarah reassured me that she understood why I have a sad chapter, so hopefully you guys will, too.

I _would _like to say some things before I move onto reviews, though. I don't mean any disrespect, but I cannot write all the couples all the time, so please stop getting mad with me over it. Sarah and I warned you that it would be mainly Sky/Bloom and Musa/Riven, and I _know_ I haven't written much MxR just yet, but _it will be written_. There were quite a few steps that had to be made before I could really start their moments, so just be patient. Their time will come. Skloom is just the coupling that I can write the best, honestly, so I revert to them more often than the others. That's why I tried to concentrate on certain couples in different chapters - I knew I wouldn't be able to include them all the entire way through.

One last thing before I go to the reviews (and then you can move onto the next chapter): please, please, _please_ do _not _tell me _what to write_. I hate to sound rude, but I really can't stand it when someone tries to tell me what should be done (unless it's Sarah, but since she's the one I plan everything with, it's rather obvious I'm fine with that) in a story that I've already mostly planned out. Usually, I'm more inclined to _not _use the idea if someone gives it to me, unless it's just something that would fit the characters so well that I can't control myself. So, once again, _please _don't tell me "what [I] should do."_  
_

**ME**, I don't know who you are, but thank you for the review. [/smiles] I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review, even as a guest.

**SilverWolf1499,** your review hardcore made my day two years ago, and it still does now when I read it. I'm glad it seems like I've kept them in character; that's all I ever really hope for in stories.

**Chicken Cat, **oi vey. I feel horrible. The first review you write, and it takes the author two years to update. [/is shot]

**AngeliqueKat**, I don't know how much more Skloom I can throw in here without having people bite my head off. [/laughs sheepishly] I can guarantee there will be more on them for a few more chapters, but once the MxR stuff begins, it _should_ be less common for so many Skloom moments.

**Musa1992, **I dunno if you're still here (since this review was made so long ago, just like all these others) but if you are, I want to address something. The reason Musa and Riven are being "left out" is because... well, they don't _do _anything together that would be considered fluff or anything like the others. I'm finally getting to the point where I can have them begin to have their moments, but the issue was getting to this point. It's kind of hard to explain without giving stuff away, so if you're still with me, I'll try to explain more after a few things are addressed in the story. I just wanted to point out that the MxR avoidance has been intentional for plot purposes and not because I suck at writing them (which is true, but not the case). It also isn't accidental, like I just forget they're there or something along those lines - I know they're there, but they don't have much to _do _since neither of them wants to like the other.

**DarkWinxGirl**, I'm updating! xD I hope it continues to meet your expectations~

All right. I can't think of anything else to really address, and if I didn't call you out by name or reply to you, it was likely because I wasn't sure how to respond, but I would love to thank anyone and everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome!

_**THE DYNAMIC DUO IS SIGNING OUT~!**_


	11. Something Wicked This Way Comes

_Disclaimer: So, I met Iginio Straffi, and after a long discussion and lots of pleading, he gave me the rights to Winx Club. Then, I woke up._

Since I'm posting both these chapters at the same time, I don't have much to say here, _except_ that this chapter is the longest one I have to date. [/cheers] And it's also the most depressing one I have. Some things are revisited, but I'm trying to exploit all parts of friendships and family relationships that haven't really been clear. Also, now that I've gotten this chapter written, there should be a little MxR trickling its way into this, but it's nothing major for a few more chapters.

I have one warning about this chapter, and it's about the beginning, starting after the first break of the story. (Basically, it's not the part after this line break, but the part after the next one.) It's nowhere near as "pushing the rating" as it had originally been in my head, but you guys will probably be like, "Uhhh, this kind of sucks." It's supposed to suck. There will literally be no passion in it whatsoever, so it came across like that. [/shrugs] But it's SkyxDiaspro, so I hope you guys don't care too much. [/laughs] I'm just trying to show her character's personality a little bit more.

Anywho~ I don't think I have anything else to say, so I hope you guys enjoy! And without further ado, let the story continue~

* * *

Chapter xi: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Diaspro Marquis was angry about something. Again. It had become somewhat commonplace with her in the last few weeks, and Sky was getting just a little sick of it. Especially since the way she chose to take her anger out on him was rather unconventional and was pushing the boundaries he'd set up.

It had started off like a normal evening for them—or what used to constitute as a normal evening—and he'd actually been enjoying himself. They had been in the entertainment room in his house, watching some film she'd chosen, and she had been curled up against him with her head resting on his shoulder. He'd had an arm around her, and his head was resting on top of hers. Those couple of hours were among the most pleasant ones they'd had in months, and it had wrongly made him hope that perhaps things were going back to normal. But he should have known better than to think it would last.

Right after the film had ended, she'd been rather affectionate and playful—basically being the girl he'd met and fallen for in his Freshman year. She had moved onto his lap and was playing with his hair, murmuring something teasingly about how it needed to be trimmed, when there was a knock on the door. **(1)** Sky looked over as the door slowly opened, and Savannah peered around it. She frowned as she glanced at Diaspro. "Sorry," the strawberry-blonde girl murmured. "I didn't know she was here."

The eight-year-old disappeared behind the door again, and when she started to close the door, Sky was startled. "Savannah!" he called out to stop her, and she cautiously peeked around the door again. "You don't have to go. What did you need?"

The young girl looked slightly fearful, and it was worrying him. "I was just... I'm having problems with my math homework, but... it can... it can wait," she stammered.

Sky frowned. What was wrong with her? "There's no reason I can't help you now. It won't take that long. Diaspro won't mind." He looked at the cream blonde, who looked like she wanted to protest. He gave her a brief, irritated look before he asked, "You don't mind, right, Diaspro?"

Diaspro rolled her eyes with a quiet scoff before she stood and crossed her arms. "I'll wait in your room," she told him, and without even waiting to see if he had objections, she stalked out of the room, moving past Savannah without a word.

Sky's irritation with her sparked, and he had to grit his teeth to keep from saying anything to her about the way she was acting. He stood and walked over to Savannah, who looked extremely worried that she'd done something wrong. He managed to smile at her and promptly scooped her up into his arms to carry her. "Come on, princess. Let's see what I can do to help."

* * *

It only took about ten minutes to help explain the process of one of the problems, and then it was simple for Savannah to do the rest. So within a total of fifteen minutes, Sky was walking into his room to face Diaspro. And that was when their pleasant evening quickly went downhill.

After he closed the door to his room behind him, Sky turned and came face to face with Diaspro. She narrowed her eyes at him before complaining, "It took you long enough."

Sky sighed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her. "It only took me fifteen minutes, Diaspro. And I'm sure you used it to text Mitzi or Chimera, so I don't see why it matters if I help my little sister with her homework." He grunted in pain when he was suddenly shoved back into his door.

"Look," the cream blonde hissed, her amber eyes flashing in anger. "I hardly ever get to see you anymore. You're always flitting around with that annoying group of nobodies, and this is the first time in two weeks that we've spent any prolonged time together alone. So excuse me if I'm a little angry that you couldn't wait until after I left to help Savannah with her homework. I feel like I never get your attention anymore, and I'm _sick _of it!"

Sky gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists so he didn't react instinctively and accidently harm her. "Those 'nobodies' you're referring to are my _friends, _Diaspro. And I'm not the only one who's causing the problems with us spending time together. I have one night a week that we can't spend together. You're the one who's almost constantly spending time with Chimera or Mitzi. I don't see why _you're_ allowed to have friends you hang out with, but I can't spend one night with my own friends."

Diaspro's eyes glittered angrily before she pulled him down into a rough kiss. He made a noise of protest, but she was relentless. Her arms tightened around his neck as he tried to pull back, and she continued to kiss him bruisingly as she nipped at his lower lip. He sighed through his nose and obliged her in the hopes that she'd calm down, parting his lips at her unspoken request as she sucked on his lower lip, but her roughness only increased in intensity as she forced her tongue between his lips. He betrayed himself with a light moan at the taste of her, and fortunately she lightened the force with which she was attacking his mouth.

Her fingers sank into his hair, and her nails scratched lightly at his scalp. He released another moan, and his hands came up of their own volition to tilt her head back. He managed to take a little control of the kiss, trying to steer it into a more heated one than an angry one, but she tugged sharply on his hair in a reprimand and purposely bit down on his tongue once to show she was still in charge. She pulled her head back slightly, breathing harshly as she glared at him.

"Diaspro, this is ridiculous," he panted hoarsely. "Why can't we just—"

She cut him off by biting his lower lip and ordering, "Hush."

He winced and tentatively touched his tongue to his lower lip, grimacing at the bitter taste of blood. "Do you really have to be so rough?" he mumbled, and she leaned forward and lightly licked along his lip.

"It's not that bad," she admonished, brushing her lips along his jaw. "Stop complaining; you were still enjoying it." She nuzzled his neck, nipping at the sensitive flesh below his ear. Sky stiffened slightly as she grazed her teeth over the stretch of skin there before nibbling and sucking at it. An unwarranted moan passed his lips, and he felt her smirk against his neck as she finally loosened her death grip on him and allowed one of her hands to trail down his chest and lightly squeeze at his hipbone. He sucked in a harsh breath, his hands tugging lightly on her hair in order to remind her she was starting to go too far. He felt her chuckle against his neck as she trailed her lips back up to his, and her hand trailed along his stomach.

"Diaspro..." he muttered warningly against her lips, narrowing his eyes at her. She shifted into him, one of her legs going between his as her amber eyes flashed defiantly up at him. Her hand drifted lower, brushing against him through his jeans, and he hissed, his head slamming back into his door, before he reached down and gripped her wrist tightly. "No, Diaspro. We've talked about this before," he gritted out. She quirked a brow at him challengingly, lightly moving her leg against him, and he snapped, "I said '_no_,' Diaspro!" He removed the arm around his neck and held both her wrists in one hand and placed his other hand on her waist to push her away.

The cream blonde pouted as she acquiesced, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't see what the big deal is," she muttered angrily. "It's not like we'd have to go all the way."

Sky's eyes flashed in anger as he mimicked her stance, crossing his arms. "Because you don't want to do it for the right reasons," he retorted. She actually looked startled as he continued, "You're trying to prove something every time you start to take things in that direction. If I weren't under the constant impression that you would try to use it to control me, then maybe I wouldn't put a stop to it so quickly every time."

Diaspro's eyes widened in shock and anger. "_What _did you just say?" she hissed.

"You heard me, Diaspro," he replied evenly. "You only try to push the issue when you're angry with me, and I think you'd try to use it against me later on."

Her hand twitched, but she didn't slap him. She was too smart to do that, even when angry. "I'm going home," she announced primly, pushing past him and opening his door. And with an angry look shot back over her shoulder, she left. **(2)**

* * *

The day before they were supposed to leave for Orlando was a Friday. All the cast was excited, especially the group of ten who practically spent all their time together. They had planned to stay at Stella's house that evening since it was the only one with enough space that was closest to their school. However, for one of them, things weren't going to go entirely as planned.

Sky was somewhat late heading to lunch when a blue-haired girl stepped directly in front of him, bringing him to a halt. He blinked before he frowned slightly as he recognized her. "Chimera? Did something happen? I know I'm late for lunch, but—"

"This conversation has nothing to do with how late you are for lunch. It's actually helpful since I don't know when I'll get this opportunity again," the blue-haired teen answered, and Sky almost stepped away from her. "Look, I wouldn't normally be telling you this, but I think you're kinda cool, and you're cute, for a blonde guy. Plus, Diaspro's been a bitch to me ever since Mitzi showed up, so I figure turnabout is fair play."

Sky was getting slightly concerned. "Chimera, just spit it out."

"Your girlfriend's cheating on you. The guy's apparently a coworker of her father's, so he's probably in his thirties, and he's honestly not that good-looking. Anyway, I know you won't believe me just because I'm _saying_ it, but they're meeting tonight at her house. I just wanted you to know. You can choose to ignore me and go on like a happy, little couple, but I swear it's happening. I'll even have a name for you by this afternoon if all goes as planned. Don't worry about finding me. I'll find you." And with that long spiel thrown out, Chimera disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared.

Sky stood there, stunned and more than a little confused about what had gone on. The girl who had been (and likely still was) Diaspro's closest friend had just ratted on her about cheating on him. He honestly couldn't wrap his mind around it because he couldn't see why Diaspro would cheat on him, but he also couldn't understand why Chimera would lie to him about it. She was going through a lot of trouble so he could catch them in the act, so he didn't think it was a good way to get back at Diaspro, even if she was lying about the man. The only amusement Chimera could get out of a farce would be his embarrassment, which would honestly be pointless.

He knew the shock had worn off when he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. There was no way he was going to lunch today. Someone would notice his odd behavior, and he'd feel compelled to tell them about what Chimera had said. Instead of dealing with that fiasco, he turned around and headed back to his classroom. It wouldn't be odd if he sat in the hallway. Besides, at times like this, it was more quiet in the halls than in other places, and he had just been given a lot to think about.

* * *

"Is Sky not here today?" Nicolas inquired as he came back from throwing away his trash.

Bloom frowned before replying, "Yeah, he was here this morning."

Brandon nodded. "She's right. He helped me obliterate the other team in dodge ball."

"I wonder where is, then," Nicolas murmured.

Flora turned around to look in the direction of Diaspro's table. "Is he sitting with Diaspro?"

Musa shook her head. "Nope. I looked for him there when I went back to get a drink."

"Ah, well. He should be fine. He's almost seventeen, right?" Bloom queried. "Besides, he has to be in the school somewhere. Have you tried sending him a text, Nic?" The redhead looked at the dirty blonde boy expectantly as she drank her fruit drink.

"Uh... no, that didn't really cross my mind. Besides, I'm not _that _worried," Nicolas muttered, his face flushing slightly.

There was a chorus of laughter at their table that died shortly at the arrival of a cream blonde.

"What do you want?" Musa asked flatly.

Diaspro crossed her arms, sneering, "Maybe you can be useful, for once. Where's your cousin?"

Musa snorted. "Even if I _did_ know, I wouldn't tell you."

"You really are useless," Diaspro muttered as she walked away.

"Ugh, I hate her!" Stella exclaimed.

"There's a reason we let you get away with calling her 'Bitch Barbie,' Stell," Bloom replied with a grin.

Brandon was scowling. "I don't know why she's looking for him. We haven't really seen Sky these past couple of weeks because of her."

Musa grinned slyly. "Well, they _are _going to be separated for a week, and a certain redhead may be spending plenty of time with him over said week. She's probably wanting to sink her claws into him one more time before we leave."

"Gross! Musa, we could have lived without the image of Sky and Diaspro going at each other, thank you very much," Bloom muttered with a grimace.

Musa and Brandon snorted at the same time as Nicolas replied, "Not the best phrase to use. We all know for sure that Sky's still a virgin. He's all about waiting until after marriage, so—"

Bloom held a hand up to top the flow of Nicolas's words. "Nic, you are seriously starting to sound gay for Sky. Just stop while you can. To be safe, you should avoid him as a topic of discussion for the rest of the day." Her tone sounded like she was teasing, but it was hard to be sure.

Nicolas's face turned red as he grumbled, "I was only explaining his prudishness."

"All right, so on a different note—is Riven not here today?" Musa questioned in order to change the subject.

Bloom nodded. "He's here, but he's skipping lunch to help Coach Codatorta with something. I was lucky enough to get that much information, so don't ask 'why' or anything."

"Since when does he get along with Codatorta?" Stella asked.

The redhead blinked and shrugged. "I kind of assumed it was some sort of punishment. Like detention or something. That's the only reason I could see Riven being willing to help Codatorta with anything. And probably the only reason Codatorta would _ask_ Riven for help."

"How on earth did Riven get on _Codatorta's_ bad side? He seems like the one Codatorta would typically like," Brandon stated with a little confusion.

Bloom was suddenly very focused on her fruit drink. "Riven... hasn't exactly led the most normal life. Would you guys believe me if I said he actually used to act _kind of_ like Nicolas?"

There were several dumbfounded looks sent her way by three of her friends. Flora and Stella were the only two who had known him then, and they both had somewhat nostalgic smiles on their faces. Those were the days when they could tease him and actually get a response, and they were also the days when he would tell them the most wild pieces of (untrue) information to see if they would believe it. And though all three of them missed that, they also knew they wouldn't be able to see Riven acting that way again. Every now and then he seemed to slip into that old persona, but it was never for very long and nothing specifically triggered it. Besides, they enjoyed the "sarcastic asshole Riven" and his reactions way too much to really even mind the personality change.

"_Well_? Are you seriously not going to explain?" Musa asked, bringing the redhead blinking out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, I was just thinking. But there's really not much that I can explain. His Freshman year he mixed with the wrong sort of crowd. And for two years, I didn't really have my brother. That was... a really bad time for my parents and me. We honestly had no idea what to do or how to approach him. He would skip school and get into fights over the most pointless things. He started letting his temper get out of control... The one time I ever spoke to him about it was when he seemed to be in an oddly good mood, so I made a comment about it—and I didn't like the answer I received." Bloom paused, and when she spoke again, her voice was softer. "I told him what I thought, and his demeanor changed almost immediately. We ended up arguing, and then he did something that made me frightened of my brother for the first time in my life. He swung at me. Halfway through the motion, he caught himself and ended up punching the wall. He didn't even say anything before he turned around and stalked off. I didn't argue with him for an entire year—hell, I barely even spoke to him at all.

"And then he came home one night and came to my room. He looked like shit, and I'm almost positive he had been drinking. I had been sitting at my desk when he came in, and my instant response was to stand up in case he was volatile. But all he did was grab me and whisper, 'I'm sorry,' over and over again. Over the past eight months, he's become what you see now, and he's actually doing a lot better. Hell, he's become friends with you guys, which is about as far from the mess as he could be." The redhead smiled. "So thank you guys for being so adamant about him being a part of our group. It means a lot more to me than you could ever know."

After a short moment, Brandon murmured, "I get the distinct feeling this is something you probably weren't supposed to tell us."

Bloom smiled slightly and gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I'm being extremely vague about it all, honestly. it wouldn't be a good reaction were he to find out, but it also wouldn't be too bad since there's so much I haven't told you. Or anyone, really. But I'd like to think I can trust you three with that information."

The three teens didn't know how to respond to that since no words could convey the sincerity with which they were glad she felt like she could trust them with something so private. Fortunately, that was when the bell rang to signal their lunch period was over, so the six students stood before separating into groups and heading to their respective classes.

* * *

By the end of rehearsal, the blonde teen felt sick to his stomach. Since the auditorium was empty, he was seated on the edge of the stage, his legs dangling off the side. He needed to waste time until he could head to Diaspro's house to see if what her friend had said was true. Chimera had come up to him right before rehearsal and had given him a name: Baltor Di Naccio. **(3) **Unfortunately, it was a name he knew since he'd actually _met _the man, but he'd never really liked him to begin with. There was just something about him that had seemed off, and he definitely didn't care for the man now.

"Sky?"

The blonde boy blinked out of his thoughts and looked over his shoulder at the redhead who had spoken. She was standing there with a frown of concern as she studied him. "Yeah?" he ventured to ask once he thought he could speak in a normal tone.

"Are you... feeling all right? You've been acting odd ever since rehearsal started," Bloom murmured.

Sky had always been a horrible liar, but he lied anyway. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just kind of out of it because I missed lunch." He almost wanted to slam his head into a wall. _'...wow. That was a more lame excuse than usual, idiot.'_

Bloom seemed to be thinking the same thing because she looked skeptical, but (as he had guessed she would) she let it slide. "That makes sense," she replied with a weak smile, which only made him feel worse than he already did. He watched as she walked over to him and sat down beside him. Her hurt expression shifted slightly into a more genuine smile as she stated, "You were a very popular conversation at lunch today. Nicolas just couldn't seem to operate without you around. He kept worrying about you and asking questions until I said something about texting you. Then he somehow ended up 'defending your honor' or something, so I stopped him from that line of discussion by saying he sounded like he had the hots for you."

The blonde boy honestly didn't know how, but he managed to genuinely laugh at that piece of information. This girl was just absolutely awesome. "So he was doing his teenage girl act? If you think he's bad with me, you should see how he is when _Brandon_ isn't here. It's ridiculous."

Bloom looked like she was trying to imagine it. "If he gets _worse_, I'd be afraid to see it. Though I can imagine everyone would probably be at least somewhat concerned if Brandon happened to miss school. I can't think of a day that he hasn't been here in the entire school year." She paused before grinning at him. "Whereas _you _have missed two full weeks."

Sky frowned. "When?"

The redhead laughed, her turquoise eyes shining. "Oh, come on. How could you forget? You were out for two whole weeks back in October. I remember it clearly because Brandon was acting like a lost puppy in phys. ed."

The blonde teen thought back to October, his brows furrowing slightly. When he finally remembered why he'd been out, he felt his face flush. "Oh, jeez," he muttered.

Bloom quirked a brow with a teasing smile. "Don't tell me you skipped school because of a family vacation to England or something."

Sky shot a glare at her. "I don't _skip_."

She laughed and nudged him with her shoulder. "I wasn't being serious. I know you wouldn't do that, Sky." After a short silence, she prompted, "So?"

Sky blinked at her. "'So,' what?"

Bloom sighed in exaggerated exasperation. "Why were you out?"

Sky looked away from her as he muttered, "I had the chicken pox."

He heard the amusement in her voice clearly as she asked, "You had the chicken pox?"

He felt the blood rush to his face as he glanced over at her, mumbling, "Yes."

Bloom bit down on her lower lip to hide her grin—and to keep from bursting into a fit of giggles. "That's... different."

"Oh, shut up," Sky retorted in embarrassment. "I've received enough comments from others to last for eternity."

"It's not different in a _bad_ way. Actually, I think it's kind of cute. Maybe even endearing," she replied, smiling warmly at him.

Sky swore his heart skipped a beat as he looked down at her. How on _earth _had he ever overlooked this girl? All she had to do was look at him with her glowing, turquoise eyes, and he turned inside-out. It was ridiculous. He'd never felt that way about _anyone_, and most certainly not about Diaspro (who _was _his girlfriend, so he should have felt this way at _some point_).

"Oi, lovebirds! Hurry it up, will ya?" The voice that disturbed them was Brandon's, and both teens jumped at the suddenness of his voice echoing loudly in the auditorium.

Bloom laughed sarcastically. "Haha. Very funny, Brandon. You guys chose to send me to get him," she snapped as she turned to look at him.

Brandon held his hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm just the messenger. Stella's the one who got impatient and sent me to interrupt."

"Yeah, yeah," the redhead muttered as she moved to stand up. "Blame your girlfriend, Brandon. Real nice."

Sky stood as well before he stated, "Well, I hate to break it to you guys, but you waited on me for no reason. I have to do something before I head over to Stella's, so I'll see you guys later."

Bloom and Brandon both frowned as they looked at him, but Brandon spoke first. "All right, then. I'll text you the directions. Come on, Bloom."

The redhead darted a concerned glance at Sky, but she didn't say anything as she followed after Brandon, leaving Sky alone in the auditorium.

With a sigh, the blonde glanced down at his phone to check the time, and a sense of dread filled him. He'd gotten a slight break by talking to Bloom, but now his problem took the front row seats again. Steeling himself, he headed toward the auditorium doors. He may as well go ahead and face the inevitable.

* * *

Roughly an hour and a half later, Sky and Diaspro were sitting in her living room as Baltor Di Naccio walked out the door. Frankly, Sky didn't care if the man came back later. He'd actually seemed surprised to see Sky so angry, which made the blonde teen wonder if the man hadn't known Diaspro wasn't single.

Of course, it didn't matter anymore. She was about to be.

There was a thick, tense silence between them as each one waited for the other one to speak. Diaspro made the mistake of speaking entreatingly. "Sky, don't—"

The blonde boy held up a hand, and she (wisely) stopped talking. He gritted his teeth together to keep from exploding at her, and after a long moment, he managed to look at her. "How long has this been going on, Diaspro?" he asked quietly, his tone livid.

She winced before retorting heatedly, "How is this any different than what you've been doing with that red-haired nobody?"

Sky's eyes flashed in anger. "Do _not _bring Bloom into this. That situation is completely different, and you know it. Now answer my question: _how long_?"

"I'm bringing her into this, Sky, because it's really _not _that different! I know you've kissed her at least once, and that was in front of me! I can only imagine what you two have done when no one's around! And if you think I haven't seen the two of you flirting—" Diaspro was yelling by now, and he could hear the anxiety in her voice. She was conveniently trying to bypass his question, and he wasn't going to have it.

"Diaspro, I walked in on the two of you _right after _you'd had sex! A kiss for a _play_ and some harmless flirting are _nothing _compared to that!" he snapped back, only yelling so he could cut off what she was going to say. Taking a deep breath, he continued more quietly, "Now, I'm not going to ask you again. _How. Long?_"

Diaspro paled as she looked down at the floor. "It started in December," she finally admitted softly.

Anger and hurt crashed into him, and he honestly felt stupid. She'd been cheating on him for _months_, and he hadn't known. "Wow," he muttered, laughing bitterly. "Since December. Well, that's just... that's just fan-_fucking_-tastic," he bit out harshly.

Diaspro flinched, but she kept quiet. Silence reigned for quite a while, until the cream blonde asked softly, "Sky?" She waited to see if he would respond, and when he didn't, she spoke a little louder. "Sky, I'm sorry. I—I don't know how it happened."

Sky's eyes immediately snapped to hers, and he gave another bitter laugh. "Diaspro, if it had been _once_, I might believe that. But it's obviously not some one-time thing we're talking about. This is multiple times over multiple months. I'm not... I can barely stand to _look _at you right now. I don't know if I can stand to _touch _you again."

"I understand," she murmured. "You need some time to think."

The blonde boy shook his head. "No, I'm done with thinking, Diaspro."

The cream blonde's eyes widened, and she stared at him incredulously for a moment. "Sky, what are you saying?"

He looked her straight in the eye. "I'm breaking up with you."

* * *

When the redhead glanced out the window of the living room for the umpteenth time in an hour, Stella sighed exasperatedly. "Bloom, stop looking out at every pair of headlights that passes by!"

The redhead jumped slightly at the shrill tone and looked at her blonde friend with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Stell, I'm just... worried."

"It's not even that late, Bloom. Maybe he went to pick up Savannah," Stella suggested.

Bloom frowned and shook her head. "No, Jephrey's dropping her off."

"Plans change, Bloom," Stella retorted.

"Not when Jephrey called to tell us he was leaving five minutes ago," Musa snapped, jumping to Bloom's defense. "And leave her alone; she has a right to be worried."

Stella looked shocked, and Brandon didn't help matters by adding, "She's right. Don't be mad at Bloom, Stell. Something's been bugging him ever since at least lunch."

"He didn't say where he was going or indicate what time he'd be back?" Timmy inquired.

Bloom looked at Brandon for confirmation as she replied, "I don't remember him saying anything aside from, 'I have to do something before I head over to Stella's,' and that's about as vague as anyone can get."

"He did say, 'so I'll see you guys later,' but that's not helpful, either," Brandon admitted.

Musa frowned. "Something's wrong. Sky _never _goes somewhere without at least saying where he's going, and he's one of those people that'll send texts when he gets there and when he leaves."

"And calls when he'll be late," Brandon added helpfully.

Flora cleared her throat meaningfully. "No offense, guys, but I don't think you're helping."

Brandon glanced at Bloom and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Red. I wasn't thinking before I spoke."

Musa reached over and touched the redhead's shoulder. "We're not saying something happened to him, but wherever he went, he doesn't want anyone to know, which means he wants to keep whatever it is to himself—at least for now. He's safe, and he'll be okay."

Bloom managed a weak smile and a nod, but she still looked pretty upset. It was silent for a long moment before she spoke, "I was wondering if I could ask all of you a favor."

There were several surprised faces looking back at her.

"_All _of us?" Tecna queried.

"Yeah. None of you _have _to do it, but it would be really helpful and appreciated if you would," the redhead explained.

When it seemed like she was waiting on an answer, Riven prompted, "We're listening."

"Things are getting really awkward between Sky and me, and I honestly don't know how much more of this I can take," the redhead confided. "So... I was hoping you guys would help me by keeping us from being alone together."

Flora was the first to recover. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. I hate that it's worked out this way, but if you really want the help, then you can count on me."

"I'll help, too," Helia added.

"So will we, Bloom," Timmy pitched in for him and Tecna.

Stella smiled sadly. "Anything for one of my best friends."

Brandon sighed softly. "Sky's not gonna like it if he finds out, but count me in," the brunette answered with a grin.

Musa smiled. "You _know _you can count on me, B!"

That managed to get a slight laugh out of the redhead, and she smiled at the raven-haired girl. "Thanks, Muse."

"Well, Riven, aren't you going to say anything?" Stella asked with a quirked brow.

The burgundy-haired boy replied, "My sister is asking for me to keep a boy away from her. I assumed it would be a given that I would do that."

A chorus of laughter followed that statement, and as all her friends started teasing her brother, Bloom turned to look out the window. She normally wouldn't be so worried, but the blonde boy had looked so lost earlier, and it had torn her to pieces that something (or someone) had been capable of doing that to him. And she was honestly worried that whatever it was would be bothering him for a while.

A pair of azure eyes shifted from the group of friends to the redhead, and with a frown, Musa silently vowed that she would do everything in her power to keep the two of them from being alone. She'd spoken to Sky about the situation once before, and in her eyes, he'd made his decision.

And it was the wrong one.

* * *

"You know, you don't have to stay up and wait for him," Musa muttered irritably as she plopped down on the couch beside the redhead a couple hours later. "We _do_ have to get up early."

Bloom blinked as she looked at the raven-haired girl. "I know. But that's not the only reason I'm still up. I actually wanted to talk to you alone."

Musa looked wary. "About what?"

"Do you like my brother?" Bloom asked bluntly, deciding it'd be easier to be straightforward.

Musa looked startled before she laughed. "You don't waste time."

"Not at eleven o'clock at night when I have to get up at five am. And especially not when your cousin could show up at any minute and ruin our conversation," the redhead replied.

"I guess that makes sense," Musa agreed. "But you need to be a little more specific in what you're asking."

Bloom heaved a sigh. "I'm almost positive that recently you've been flirting openly with my brother. I want to know if you have feelings for him."

"You're going to think I'm crazy, and possibly stupid, but yeah. I do," Musa answered after a moment of pure silence.

Bloom's brows furrowed. "Why would I think either of those things?"

Musa laughed wryly. "Because I'm fairly certain he doesn't feel the same."

"Well, I know for a fact that he does, but I also know he won't do a thing about it until you explicitly say you like him. And even then, he's not going to make it easy for you to continue things with him," Bloom answered.

Musa blinked in surprise. "Wait—how do you 'know for a fact' that Riven likes me?"

Bloom smiled wryly. "One—he's my brother, so I just know these things. And two—I asked him so I could get his permission to talk to you. I've learned the hard way that, with Riv, it is _not _easier to ask for forgiveness later."

Musa grinned and nodded. "I could see him being that way."

"Anyway, he gave his permission, obviously, and I've already told you the very shortened and very summarized version of things. But there's a lot that I'm not going to tell you since I think he should be the one to do it." Bloom paused, biting down on her lower lip. "Of course, there is one more question I need to ask. Are you _okay_ with me telling you about him?"

The raven-haired girl took a moment to actually think it over. Everything in her was practically screaming, "Yes! Please tell me!" But there was a small part of her that wanted to hear it all from Riven, not his sister. It would mean a lot more to her if she heard it from the turnip-headed male. "I really want to know about it, but part of me wants to hear about it all from him." She made a face before looking at Bloom with a frown. "Does that make any sense?"

The redhead smiled slightly, nodding. In its own way, it made a lot of sense. She imagined she probably would have felt the same way if the tables were turned. "Honestly, there's a lot more to the story than _I _even know, and I'm willing to respect your decision if you really don't want me to tell you. I'm just worried that, by the time you do find out, it'll be too late. Riven is... really insecure about things and you're the top items on the list all rolled into one."

Musa's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

Bloom sighed, trying to figure out how to explain without giving away any details. "Well, for starters, you're female. And don't ask me to elaborate on it unless you're giving me permission to tell you about his past," she warned when she saw Musa open her mouth. The raven-haired girl promptly closed it. "You're also from a very well-off family, and money has always been a sore spot for him." She paused before backtracking slightly. "And on top of being female, you're pretty; he _really _likes your voice—again, don't ask; and you're very strong-willed and independent."

"Bloom, I'm not changing who I am for your brother. I draw the line at being fake," Musa retorted acidly.

The redhead laughed. "Riven wouldn't like you if you weren't all those things. He calls it his curse to be attracted to everything that even remotely throws him off-balance."

Musa worried her lower lip between her teeth. "Did all of that come from that two-year stitch he went through?"

Bloom nodded solemnly. "Basically, yeah."

It was silent for a few minutes before the raven-haired girl capitulated. "All right, I'm going to need help, then, aren't I?" she sighed heavily. "So tell me about it. As 'big picture' as you can," she added, using air quotes.

The redhead looked startled. "Are you sure?"

"No, I'm not. So start talking before I change my mind again," Musa replied. Bloom looked hesitant, so the pig-tailed girl made an impatient gesture. "Come on, anything will get me hooked. Please don't make me change my mind again. The rational part of me knows I need to know _something_."

"Darcy Vidali. **(4) **I don't know how he met her, but I _do_ know she caused the abrupt change of peers and encouraged the bad attitude. I told you about the one night he scared me—he'd finally gotten the nerve to ask her out or something, and she'd responded favorably. I'd met her _once_ before that day, and I had disliked her the moment she touched my brother possessively. She's two years older than he is, so I knew things were fishy." The redhead closed her eyes and shook her head. "I was so angry when Riven finally opened up to me about all the _shit _she did. She used him until she found a new little pet. I honestly couldn't believe half the stuff he told me." She opened her eyes, and Musa wasn't surprised by the tears that shone in them. "I just... I can't comprehend it. What kind of a person plays mind games with someone like that? She screwed with his mind so easily, and I know she enjoyed doing it. I just don't see how or why you could enjoy that..." She swallowed back a sob. "She practically _destroyed _my brother, and _she didn't even care_, Muse..."

Impulsively, Musa reached out and hugged the redhead just as the girl started shaking with silent sobs. Musa felt tears running down her own face as her heart broke for both the brother and the sister. "I don't know why those sorts of people are in the world, Bloom," she replied quietly. "And I'm so sorry that he went through that. But he made it, and he's doing really well, despite all that, right? He fought to become what he is now, and even though he feels the need to be on guard, he still managed to become friends with all sorts of people. I mean, he's friends with my _cousin_." That received a weak laugh, and Musa squeezed the girl slightly before pulling away from her. "And for some reason, I like assholes who only want to show affection towards their little sisters and use too much hair gel."

Bloom choked out a laugh and wiped ineffectively at the tears on her face.

That was when a certain blonde decided to finally show up. He stopped short at the sight of his cousin and her friend in tears. "Are you two okay?" he asked concernedly.

Both girls jumped as he spoke, and one face lit up while the other darkened. Unfortunately, the one with the dark expression spoke first. "Where the _hell _have you been!? Do you have _any _idea what time it is!?" Musa snapped. "All of us have been worried sick because you apparently couldn't find a spare moment of time to let anyone know you were all right!"

Sky winced visibly, and as Musa took a breath to continue, Bloom reached out and put a hand on her arm. "Musa, don't," she admonished quietly. The raven-haired girl's mouth snapped shut, but her expression didn't change. Bloom shifted her gaze to Sky, and she patted the couch. "Sky, come sit."

The blonde boy hesitated, but he did Bloom's bidding and sat stiffly next to her.

"So," the redhead sighed with a slight smile. "Where _have _you been?"

Sky sighed and pushed a hand through his blonde locks. "For the past couple of hours, I've been at the park."

Bloom frowned at that response, but she nodded. "All right, I'll accept that. Is there any particular reason you didn't text anyone?"

He sighed softly as he looked away from her. "I just didn't want to talk to anyone yet." Her next question surprised him enough to make him look back at her.

"Are you okay?" When he looked at her confusedly, the redhead added, "You looked lost during rehearsal this afternoon. I've been worried about it. Well, actually, a lot of us have. That's kind of why Musa's mad."

Sky frowned and looked away in slight embarrassment. "I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to worry any of you. I just had a lot on my mind, and still do, really."

The redhead hesitated before asking, "Do you want to talk about it?"

The blonde shook his head. "Not really. I'm sick of thinking about it, honestly."

Bloom's wince did not go entirely unnoticed. "All right, then," the redhead replied quietly with somewhat forced cheer. "I can understand that." She pushed herself up from the couch and smiled slightly at the two cousins. "Well, I'm tired, so I'm gonna head to bed. Good night, Muse. Night, Sky." She started walking away before she even finished speaking.

"Good night, Bloom," Sky returned, though he seemed slightly crestfallen. Musa thought it served him right.

"Night, B!" the raven-haired girl called out. She waited about sixty seconds before she turned on Sky. "Are you just _that _stupid?" she hissed.

The blonde frowned. "What are you—"

"Bloom, you idiot! I'm talking about Bloom! You know, the redhead who's quite possibly _in love with you_?" she snapped. "She's been worried _sick _about you all evening, and then she's totally patient with you about it and acts all considerate when none of the rest of us would, and all you do is give her short answers that only make her more worried! Do you even realize how much she hurts when you're upset?"

"Musa, what do you want me to do? You get pissed off if I act like everything's fine, but when I don't pretend, you get angry with me, too. You've recently been irritated about me even _talking_ to Bloom, but you're practically saying I should tell her what's wrong so that she can try to help. I can't do _both_."

Azure eyes glinted angrily. "Be her _friend_! I don't care if you _talk _to her, Sky, but you can't flirt with her, and you sure as hell can't look at her like you want to kiss her. Not unless you plan on doing something about it. And I don't mean months from now—I mean within, at most, two weeks. I've told you before that she's not someone you can toy with, and every day I think that more and more."

Sky gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists. "I'm not toying with her, Musa! I actually _like _her. But it seems like all of you forget that I also liked Diaspro, and I didn't want to be the guy who breaks up with his current girlfriend because a new girl came along. That's not a good enough reason for me."

Musa crossed her arms and snorted. "Yeah, because leading _two _girls on is _so _much better. _That _won't come back to bit you in the ass," she retorted sarcastically.

The blonde closed his eyes tightly and released a harsh noise through his teeth. "Musa, I really am tired of having this conversation with you, and I seriously don't want to talk about it after the day I've had."

"Oh, of course, Your Highness," the raven-haired girl snapped. "Excuse me for worrying about my new best friend before I thought about how this discussion would just be so stressful after the day you've had." She stood with a scoff and started to head out of the living room. "I'm going to bed."

The blonde released a groan of frustration before chucking the nearest object (a pillow) across the room. He hadn't expected anyone to be up when he arrived, so it had been a shock to run into Bloom and Musa. And though he'd honestly wanted to tell them both what was bothering him, he couldn't bring himself to do it. And then Musa had viciously attacked him when Bloom left, and he had instinctively defended himself, which had ended up with him really not being able to tell his cousin that he'd already broken up with Diaspro. And if he were totally honest with himself, he'd like for Bloom to be the first one he told since she would likely be sympathetic first and happy later—which was what he really needed. The others would just be pissed and irrational about it.

"Jeez, this is just ridiculous," he muttered aloud to himself, rubbing his hands over his face.

"Um, Sky?" The soft, hesitant voice had his head whipping around to look at the girl shifting awkwardly at the entrance to the living room. "I... kind of assumed you and Musa would argue when I left, so when I heard her go into the guest room she's staying in with Tecna, I figured I'd show you to the room you'll be staying in with your sister."

In all the fuss, Sky had completely forgotten Savannah was staying the night, too. "Damn it. I can't do anything right today," he hissed, burying his face in his hands. He was somewhat thankful that Bloom stayed silent as he tried to calm down. After a couple of minutes, he released a sigh and stood from the couch. "If you could show me to my room, that would really be awesome, Bloom."

The redhead managed a sleepy smile and a nod before she turned around and guided him through the house like an expert. When she stopped at one of the doors on the second floor, she quietly turned the knob to reveal a bedroom with a queen-sized bed and a small form on it. "Here you go. Brandon's room is right next to this one, and he's bunking with Timmy. Mine and Flora's is two doors back that way, and there's a bathroom right across the hall," the redhead detailed. "So unless you can think of anyone else you may need to bother, I'll see you in a few hours."

When she turned to walk back to her room, he stopped her by briefly touching her shoulder. "Thank you, Bloom. And... I'm sorry I worried you earlier. You and Musa were right; I could have sent someone a text, and it was thoughtless of me not to." He paused and cleared his throat. "And I _would _like to talk to you about what was bugging me, but I don't think I can handle that tonight. Can I get a rain check?" he queried with a sheepish smile as his face flushed.

The way her turquoise eyes glowed up at him caused his heart to start hammering wildly in his chest. "So long as you let me know when, I think something can be arranged," she teased quietly, her face splitting into a grin. "Good night, Blondie," she bade as she walked away. **(5)**

Sky was almost positive he was grinning like an idiot as he walked into the guest room and closed the door. It wasn't until he was pulling the covers back that he realized he'd left his suitcase in his car, which meant he'd be sleeping in his clothes from earlier that day, but he was too tired to care.

Savannah stirred slightly as he slipped into the bed beside her, and she peered at him sleepily. "Sky? What time is it?"

"It's really late. Just go back to sleep, sweetie," he murmured, brushing her hair back from her face.

The younger girl curled up closer to him. "I wanted to wait up for you, but Bloom said she would."

Sky smiled sadly. "She did wait up for me."

Savannah's eyes slipped closed, even as she fought to stay awake. "I knew she would. She stayed with me until I fell asleep."

Sky's heart clenched painfully at that. "She's very sweet, isn't she?"

"Mhmm. I wanna be like that when I grow up," the strawberry-blonde mumbled nearly incoherently.

The blonde boy chuckled. "I'm sure you will be."

"Sky?" It was obvious she was half asleep.

"Hm?"

"Are you gonna marry her someday?"

He laughed and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I don't know, Savannah. Let's see about getting her to agree to being my girlfriend first."

Savannah nodded. "Okay." And then after a pause, she added, "I would be happy if you did marry her because she makes you happy. _Really_ happy, not the way Diaspro does."

The blonde chuckled again, brushing his fingers through her hair. "Like I said; we'll see. Go back to sleep now, sweetie."

They were both almost entirely asleep a couple minutes later when Savannah mumbled, "I love you."

Sky roused himself enough to hug her tightly and smile. "I love you, too."

* * *

**(1) I know this does not coincide with what you guys are used to seeing, but I couldn't see any reason for Sky to stay with Diaspro for two years over something shallow about how she treated him, and so I came up with this. I could honestly see her playing out whatever sort of girl she had to when they were alone in order to make him stay with her—make it seem like he's the only one that gets to see the "real" her. The reason she's suddenly being affectionate with him again is because she's worried, and she's been advised by one of her "friends" that she needs to do something. **

**(2) So, that scene. You might notice that it's rather flat compared to the other scenes involving couples. Mainly because I meant for it to be that way. What Diaspro's doing there is a turn-off for Sky; he doesn't enjoy being manhandled since he wouldn't do that to someone else. And Diaspro's kind of unattached from the whole thing; she really is only doing it for the reason Sky thinks she is. I'm not too fond of that scene, honestly. It took me forever to write, and I think it's shit. But whatever. I left it in there because I wanted to show that what Brandon said in the beginning of chapter two is correct: she just wants to claim he's hers. :/**

**(3) Two things I want to state here. One**—**I am not a **_**Nickelodeon **_**era **_**Winx Club**_** fan, nor did I have the option of watching the **_**RAI**_** version. So his name is Baltor, not Valtor. Do not say I've given him the wrong name because the voices I have in my head while writing this are from the **_**4kids**_** version, and I personally like Baltor more than Valtor. Two**—**I used the last name of the Italian voice actor for Baltor's last name. In case you were curious~**

**(4) So~ Vidali is the last name of the voice actress for Stormy in the Italian version (I think). Just in case you were curious. None of the other names seemed to fit the three sisters, and I wasn't going to call them Trix since I want it to be a family name**—**they're not anywhere near as rich as Sky, but they're still upper class.**

**(5) In case you're curious, she only calls him "Blondie" when she's feeling comfortable enough to tease him without it being something that could ruin the moment. So her calling him that means that things are okay between them, basically; at least, in regards to things that he was doing purposely.**

I had issues with the ending of this chapter. I had no idea where to stop it, and I didn't really want to leave it off with all this crap going on without any sort of real stopping point. So then I just kept writing after Musa ditched Sky in the living room, and the result is what you see above. Hopefully it's good, and not bad, but feel free to tell me if you hate it. I didn't make a note of it, but Musa and Sky have problems with being open with each other, which is why they argue about Bloom. Not to mention, to Musa, Sky's kind of doing what Darcy did, and it just makes her mad that he doesn't seem to want to take action. But he's a spoiled, rich kid; unfortunately, he's just used to everything falling into place for him. He has to learn that it doesn't work that way, which is what Musa's trying to convey. He's just not comprehending just yet.

Anyway, it's nearly 1:30 am, and I'm having to work for my mom until she can actually hire a person for the job position they open at her work. So, I need to get some shut eye.

I hope you guys enjoyed these chapters! I will go ahead and say that it may be a couple weeks before I can update again since I need to talk with Sarah about the next chapter, but it _could_ be done within the next week. We'll see, yes? C: Anyway~ I'd really love it if you guys reviewed, but it's not really _necessary_ for me to continue to update. (I think it's rude when authors say they won't update unless they get "x" amounts of reviews.)

Until next time! ;D

_**THE DYNAMIC DUO IS SIGNING OUT~!**_


	12. PMD

_Disclaimer: Through careful reading of old ideas, Sarah and I came to the conclusion that we **might** have been able to claim some ownership of WC. Unfortunately, I don't think Iginio Straffi would agree._

Okay, I _finally _have an update for you guys! I know it kept getting postponed (if you ever looked at my profile where I'm saying when I'll update) but once you start reading, you'll understand why. First, this chapter is insanely long (and is, unfortunately, the first of possibly many long chapters to come). In Word, it came to be nearly 32 full pages with Calibri size 11 font. So hopefully you guys can forgive me for the long-ish wait. Just be warned it may take a couple weeks for the next chapter, too. Wish I could get ahead of my postings, but it'd take way too long to do that so we're stuck with it being this way. I'll try to keep updating my profile with what I'm doing, sooo... yeah~ xD

Well, I don't have much to address in here, except that the thing I stated in the disclaimer is true. We seriously came up with Jason before Season 3 even aired (and he came in Season 4)—and we had some others, but my memory is failing me at this moment. As an explanation: we used to have way too much fun roleplaying through IM's. :D [/good times]

Anywho! I won't keep you. Let the story continue~ :)

* * *

Chapter xii: PMD

Flora was naturally an early riser. No matter what time she was supposed to get up, her internal clock always managed to wake her up early. That was why, at four in the morning, the brunette girl was quietly making her way downstairs to try and make (or find) something to eat for breakfast. If she'd known what she was going to find en route to the first-floor kitchen, she would have (_probably_) stayed upstairs and taken the risk of waking everyone else up.

The brunette teen caught movement out of the corner of her eye when she walked past the living room. She stopped short when she realized it was a person, and she felt the adrenaline spike before her eyes widened at what she was seeing. Her face flushed as the raven-haired boy stretched his arms out, her gaze drifting down to take in the lean muscles of his bare torso. Her breath caught as his abdomen muscles contracted when he stepped his right leg out (bent at the knee) in what she could only assume was one of the warrior poses for yoga. **(1)**

Her sharp intake of breath must have alerted him to her presence because his head turned to look at her. His lips curled into a warm smile as he raised his right arm over his head and shifted his left arm down his left leg. Flora was fairly certain she squeaked as she averted her gaze—she would be absolutely mortified if he knew she was ogling his chest.

She heard Helia shift poses, and she glanced at him to see he was balancing on his right foot, his upper body and left leg parallel to the ground and perpendicular to his right leg. He stayed in that position for a few breaths before he brought his left foot back down and straightened his back. She found herself watching him (again) as he fluidly pulled on the shirt he'd draped over the couch.

Helia chuckled when he glanced at her and saw she was watching him rather intently. Her gaze shot up to his, and he smiled as her face flushed. He walked up to her and brought a hand up to cup her cheek. His heart pounded against his chest as she instinctively leaned her head into his touch. She smiled sweetly up at him, her green eyes shining, and he felt his heart skip a beat. Leaning his forehead against hers, he stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Good morning, Flora," he greeted quietly.

Flora was having difficulties remembering how to breathe. "Uh, g-good morning, Helia," she stammered, feeling her face burn hotter in embarrassment. She silently cursed it. She didn't understand why she became a stumbling mess when he was around. She'd had weeks to get acclimated to his spontaneous displays of affection when they were alone, but for some reason, it seemed like she'd lose any ground she picked up. Of course, it didn't help that at this moment all that kept flashing in her mind was a broad expanse of lightly tanned skin stretched across lean muscles. She unconsciously bit down on her lower lip at the mental image. She really hated teenage hormones at that moment.

Helia felt his lips twitch into a grin at the unfocused look in Flora's eyes. It was apparent she was lost in her thoughts. He opened his mouth to try and get her attention back when he felt her fingers tracing his chest. His breath stilled in his lungs, and his eyes shot to hers. Judging by the still unfocused look in them, he came to the very reasonable conclusion that she wasn't even aware she was doing it—which, really, was absolutely unfair. Swallowing thickly, he allowed himself to relish in the moment before he lightly gripped her wrists to abate the movements. Flora blinked several times as she came out of her thoughts, and Helia waited for her to register the situation.

The brunette girl frowned down at her hands (that were still lightly pressed against Helia's chest) before peering up into Helia's face. "Did I...?" she asked, unable to form the sentence.

"Yes," he answered. "You seemed to be lost in your thoughts. Otherwise, I might not have stopped you."

Her cheeks flushed prettily, and Helia smiled as she squeaked, "I'm sorry!"

Helia tilted his head slightly, studying her. Without warning, he leaned down and kissed her. He felt her stiffen slightly in shock, so he released her wrists to cup her jaw in his hands. She seemed to relax, and a moment later her lips were moving gently against his. Tentatively, he licked along her lower lip, and he heard (and felt) her gasp. She trembled slightly as his tongue gently stroked hers, and her hands fisted in his shirt. He quickly realized it wasn't something she was very comfortable with, so he slowly pulled back from the kiss. Resting his forehead against hers, he waited patiently for her to calm down.

"I'm sorry, Helia," Flora mumbled as she slowly loosened her grip on his shirt.

Helia frowned, his thumbs lightly stroking her cheeks. "There's no need for you to apologize, Flora. I only want to take things as quickly or slowly as you can deal with them. I'm well aware of when I may be pushing your limits. I don't mind stopping."

She opened her eyes to look up at him and eventually nodded. "I... If you say so, Helia."

The raven-haired boy chuckled. "A smile would have made your statement more believable, love," he teased. Flora's eyes widened at the pet name, so he picked his head up and kissed her forehead before stepping around her. "I'm going to get changed, but I'll be back down to help make breakfast shortly."

Flora didn't even get the chance to protest because he was already retreating down the hallway. A smile quirked her lips as she watched him, and she finally turned to head into the kitchen. He'd called her "love." It was enough to make her burst with happiness. She _so _wouldn't have chosen to cook on the second floor if given a do-over; what had just happened far outweighed her embarrassment.

* * *

Tecna was walking out of the bathroom when she ran into Timmy. Literally.

The ginger-haired boy scrambled to catch her by the wrists before she fell backwards. "S-sorry, Tecna!" he stammered as she became stable on her feet.

The fuchsia-haired teen smiled up at him. "It's all right, Timmy. I wasn't paying attention, so it's partially my fault, too."

Timmy made a noise that could have been an affirmative or a denial, and they were silent. They both stood there awkwardly for a long moment before Timmy cleared his throat. "So, uh, did you sleep well?" The question felt odd coming out of his mouth, but Brandon had assured him that it was a normal thing for a guy to ask his girlfriend.

Tecna smiled and nodded. "I did, thank you... And you?" she asked after a slight hesitation. Stella had told her several weeks ago that it was only fair (and nice) to return the concern and pleasantries that her boyfriend might ever speak. This, however, was not one of their normal conversations.

"Great! That's great! And I, uh, I slept well, too. Brandon's pretty cool to bunk with," Timmy replied, which was partially a lie—he hadn't gotten very much sleep since Brandon had felt the need to give him some tips on the "normal" things couples did. Things Timmy had never really heard of as being expected, and especially things he'd never done. Tecna seemed to be fine with it all thus far, though.

Tecna nodded. "That's good to hear. I typically wouldn't have any complaints, but Musa stormed into the room at one point and—upon noticing she woke me up—briefly ranted about Sky being an idiot before she apologized and let me go back to sleep. It was a little amusing until my alarm went off. She emerged from the cocoon of covers to maul the alarm clock before she retreated," the fuchsia-haired girl sighed.

Timmy chuckled with a shake of his head. "I don't envy whoever has to wake her up, then. And I'd suggest calling dibs on rooming with Flora and ditching Bloom with Musa on our trip."

"I might do that. Bloom is probably more suited to dealing with that sort of thing. She'd probably just dump Musa on the floor," Tecna murmured with a touch of amusement. They were quiet for a moment before Tecna cleared her throat. "Well, I guess I'll let you get ready. I'll see you downstairs." She moved to go around Timmy but was stopped short when she was pulled awkwardly into a hug. She stiffened, her hands pressed firmly against his chest. Part of her was happy about the display of affection, but mostly, she felt awkward and uncomfortable.

Timmy tried his best to ignore how awkward and uncomfortable the situation made him, and he hesitated slightly before pressing his face into her hair and kissing the top of her head. He felt her arms move to slip around his waist, and then they simply hung there uselessly. Brandon hadn't told him how long he was supposed to hold her, but this whole situation was just weird. He cleared his throat as he released her, glancing off to the side in embarrassment.

Tecna paused for a moment to collect herself before she looked up at her boyfriend. "Um, Timmy?"

The ginger-haired boy shifted his gaze to her, his hand going to the back of his head in a nervous gesture. "Y-yeah, Tecna?"

"Don't get the wrong impression or anything, but I... I think we should just stick with our usual, simple 'good morning' statements. I don't really require intimacy this early in the morning, and I'm not exactly very good with giving it when I've just woken up," Tecna explained, worrying her lower lip between her teeth.

Timmy relaxed in relief. "That sounds perfect, Tecna. It really, really does."

Tecna smiled and backed up a couple of steps. "Good morning, Timmy."

The ginger-haired boy laughed, reaching out and lightly squeezing her hand. "Good morning, Tecna," he answered warmly. Releasing her hand, he let her move around him before he walked into the bathroom. Maybe he needed to find someone other than Brandon to take advice from. **(2)**

* * *

"Hey, Brandon, will you do us a favor?"

The brunette boy blinked up from his meal, finishing chewing and swallowing. His gaze settled on the redhead who had spoken. "Sure."

Bloom grinned. "Awesome. Can you go wake up your girlfriend?"

Brandon's brows furrowed. "Not that I mind doing it, but why do you want me to go wake up Stella?"

"Because you're the only person we can think of who might be able to wake her without her making a huge fuss," Bloom answered sincerely.

Brandon shook his head with a chuckle. "I doubt that, but I'll do it. Just let me finish eating." He punctuated his statement by biting into a slice of bacon.

Bloom rolled her eyes but walked away with a call of, "Thanks, Bran~" over her shoulder. He hadn't the foggiest idea where she was headed, but she stopped short when the door to the kitchen swung open (narrowly missing hitting her) to reveal Sky and Savannah, the latter of which was being carried by the blonde teen. Bloom quirked a brow at him. "Couldn't you have slowly pushed open the door, Blondie?" she teased as he set Savannah down on the ground. "Jeez. You need to watch him, Savannah. He's going to knock someone out." She grinned at the exasperated look on Sky's face before she ducked down to kiss the top of the little girl's head. "Morning, Savannah. Flora's making you some pancakes." And with that greeting out of the way, the redhead moved around the siblings and exited the kitchen.

Savannah didn't waste any time darting over to Flora and Helia, eager for her pancakes whenever they were finished.

Brandon chuckled before grinning at his blonde friend. "Morning, dude. Nice to see you made it in safely."

Sky shot him a glare. "Don't you dare start. I've already been yelled at by Musa, and Savannah got mad at me over it this morning, since she was too sleepy last night to do anything but talk about—" The blonde cut his rant short, his face pinkening slightly. "Whatever. The point is that I don't need another lecture."

Brandon snickered. "You _do _know I'm just going to ask Savannah what she said, right?"

The blonde shrugged. "I doubt she even remembers it, so go right ahead."

Brandon nodded gravely. "You're right. But I think I could easily jog her memory. I mean, I know it's about Bloom, given that blush you were just sporting," he stated nonchalantly. Sky looked slightly murderous, so Brandon jumped up. "Well, I'm off to go wake Stella by decree of said redhead. I shall return shortly with victory, and you can reprimand me then, my liege," he stated dramatically, bowing low, before he turned on his heel and ran out of the kitchen.

Sky shook his head and looked over at the other four teens in the room.

"Is that common for him?" Tecna asked to break the silence.

The blonde sighed, though his lips twitched into a smile. "Unfortunately, yes. It's kind of an inside joke. He used to do it when he thought I was acting like a spoilt, rich kid—but now he does it when the moment strikes him."

"Oh, so he acts like a servant," Helia murmured. "Nice."

Sky wasn't sure if that remark was sarcastic or appreciative, but he made a face. "Not just any servant—he thinks he's acting like a Knight."

"Sometimes he even makes Sky play along," Savannah added helpfully.

The four teens didn't even try to hide their laughter as Sky winced. Leave it up to his little sister to make it worse.

"Now _that_ I've got to see," Timmy stated with a grin.

* * *

Meanwhile, Brandon was venturing into Stella's room. He stopped beside her bed, smiling at how peaceful she looked. He honestly didn't want to wake her since he knew she hadn't been sleeping well recently, but he also knew he didn't have a choice since she still had to get ready.

He lightly placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. She stirred easily, opening her eyes and peering up at him. "Brandon?" she queried softly.

"Good morning, Princess," he answered quietly with a warm smile. "It's time for you to get up." He brushed some of her hair back, and she closed her eyes at the feeling.

"Five more minutes, Bran," she mumbled.

Chuckling, the brunette leaned down and kissed her forehead. "No can do, Princess. My orders were to wake you. I'm fairly certain Bloom waited as long as she felt she could."

Stella made a noise of protest, but she pushed herself up into a sitting position and rubbed at her eyes. "All right, I'm up," she mumbled before covering her mouth as she yawned.

"If you're really sleepy, you can always nap on the ride there," Brandon pointed out as his eyes roved over her face. She always looked so beautiful—even now, with her hair rumpled and her face entirely devoid of makeup. She could easily be with just about any guy she wanted, and yet she was with him. He wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve her, and part of him wasn't even sure if he _did_ deserve her, but he was so grateful that he had her. She was kind-hearted but honest, and he knew from experience that she really cared about her friends' happiness and well-being. He adored her, and he'd willingly shout it off the rooftops if she wanted him to.

The blonde girl shifted to stand, so he moved back slightly, only to have her arms slip around his waist and her head lay against his chest. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling the top of her head. In a way, this was probably like letting her have more time to sleep (in that she needed to be getting ready) but there was no way he could turn down the chance to even simply hold her.

Stella smiled as she snuggled into Brandon. She'd never had a boyfriend who wanted to just hold her like this. And if they did, it usually only lasted about five minutes—if _even _that—before their hands started straying. But here Brandon was, and he was always willing to do something simple like hold her hand or curl up with her. He did push his luck, of course—he _was _a teenage boy after all—but he usually knew when she was in a good enough mood to be willing to fool around a little. She probably didn't deserve him, but there was no way she'd let him go without a fight. She'd never felt this fierce need for someone before, and she honestly wasn't sure what she'd do if she ever lost Brandon.

With a sigh, the blonde girl extracted herself from Brandon's arms, smiling warmly at him. "All right, I'm fully awake now. Thanks."

The brunette boy flashed a grin. "It was my pleasure, Princess," he answered, bowing. "Your breakfast awaits you when you're finished."

Stella smiled. "Oh? Thank you for telling me." She paused before adding slyly, "Snookums."

Brandon laughed and quirked a brow. "So you came up with 'Snookums,' huh?"

"You don't like it? All the others are so redundant or silly," the amber-eyed girl protested with a slightly playful pout.

He shook his head at her antics and leaned down to kiss the pout off her lips. "I can deal with 'Snookums.' It'll grow on me. Now go get ready so you can eat something. I will ensure your food is prepared properly, Princess."

Her amber eyes glowed up at him, and he felt his heart somersault. God, he loved this girl. **(3)**

* * *

"Hey, Tec? Where's Musa?" Bloom queried when she noticed she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the raven-haired girl.

Tecna looked up from her spot beside Timmy. "I believe she's attempting metamorphosis," the fuchsia-haired girl answered helpfully. "And I am not going to prematurely break that cocoon."

The redhead resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Of course not. Why does everyone cower when it comes to waking her up?"

"Waking up whom?" Sky asked as he and Savannah entered the living room.

"Nice to see you changed into clean clothes," Bloom observed with a grin. "And we're talking about Muse."

"Not it!" Sky and Savannah exclaimed at the same time.

Chuckles echoed in the room while Bloom crossed her arms. "Wuss," she muttered.

Sky shrugged, though the slight pinkening of his face betrayed his embarrassment. "I don't care. I've had to wake her up for years. She's hostile."

Bloom threw her hands up in the air exasperatedly. "You should be a pro at it, then. But I guess I'll go do it since no one's really jumping at the opportunity."

"Good luck!" Savannah called after her.

Bloom smiled to herself as she ascended the stairs. She could only hope she had a child like that when she got older.

* * *

The raven-haired girl was still sleeping soundly when the redhead ventured into her domain. The unsuspecting girl bundled in a mess of sheets was about to be in for a rude awakening. Literally.

To be fair, Bloom _had _tried to call out Musa's name and had even shaken her, but no sign of life emerged—the girl didn't even _twitch_. So she did the only other thing she knew to do: grabbed the sheets and jerked, _hard._

A loud yelp sounded in the room followed by the sound of a body thudding into the floor. Musa jumped up, exclaiming, "I'm okay! I'm awake! What's happening!?" Her wild eyes settled on the laughing redhead, and it took her sleep-addled brain a moment to realize what had happened. Her eyes narrowed when she pieced it together. "What the _hell_, Bloom!?"

The redhead was still overcome by her laughing fit, but she managed to wheeze out a response in between laughs. "I... I couldn't... wake you up... so... so I pulled... I pulled the covers... and you just... you just kept rolling."

"You are _so _lucky I'm not violent enough to strangle you," the raven-haired girl muttered darkly pushing past the redhead.

Bloom was totally unfazed. "Good morning to you, too, star shine!" she chirped, dodging the hand that swiped at her.

"I hate you," the raven-haired girl responded as she bent down to dig through her bag.

Bloom grinned. "See you downstairs, Muse," she called as she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

* * *

Riven was eating his breakfast in peace when Musa walked into the kitchen. She seemed completely oblivious to his presence, which was fine with him. In his experience, when a girl looked _that _moody, you didn't draw attention to yourself. It was really tempting, though; the pig-tailed girl was rather amusing when she attempted to be fierce. And cute. But that was irrelevant.

Musa found her plate of food in the microwave (where Flora had put it to keep it warm) and grabbed a fork out of a drawer. She turned around to head to the table and stopped short when she saw Riven observing her as he ate. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked, rather mildly for a girl who looked ready to murder someone.

One of Riven's eyebrows shot up. "I'm eating."

Musa rolled her eyes and moved the few steps she needed to reach the table. She set her plate down before slipping into the seat across from Riven. "You were watching me," she finally remarked, stabbing at some eggs with her fork.

"I was waiting to see if you would notice someone else was in here," Riven retorted, shifting his gaze off his plate and up to her. "I wasn't aware you were that oblivious to your surroundings. Must be nice."

Musa would have been offended if she didn't know Riven was saying it just to get a rise out of her. She wasn't in the mood to rise to his bait, so she chose to chomp a piece of bacon instead.

They sat in rather companionable silence for a few minutes, each looking at the other when he or she wasn't paying any mind. Musa broke the silence first when she'd gotten up to venture toward the refrigerator to find something to drink. "Your sister is insane, by the way," she stated offhandedly as she rifled through her drink options. She settled on grape juice (since it was in small bottles) and walked back to the table.

Riven was purposely picking at his food in order to keep her company (or at least, that was what he was telling himself). He glanced up at her as he waited for her to elaborate. She didn't. "I'm aware she has random bouts of sanity loss," he replied noncommittally, shrugging.

Musa snorted. "She has rather unorthodox methods of waking someone. She rolled me out into the floor."

Riven smirked, imagining it again. He'd already been briefed by his sister about how deep of a sleeper the raven-haired girl was. "She said she yelled your name and shook you, and you didn't even twitch. I'd have gotten ice water," he murmured nonchalantly.

Musa shot him a withering glare that only succeeded in making him laugh. Her narrowed eyes widened at the sound of it, and her jaw dropped a little. In these past couple of months, she hadn't heard him genuinely laugh even _once_. It was a shame, really, because his laugh was... adorable.

Riven's amusement shifted into wary embarrassment when he realized she was staring at him with warm, azure eyes and a cute smile. He dragged his gaze from her and back to his plate. He couldn't handle that look; it did things to him that he was fairly sure were unhealthy. His appetite lost (and his flight senses kicking in) Riven stood and took his plate to the trash. "When you're done, everyone's waiting in the living room," he muttered without looking at her, and then he walked out of the kitchen.

Musa frowned slightly at his abrupt withdrawal, but she'd kind of expected it. Too bad that knowledge didn't keep the lance of pain from going through her. **(4)**

* * *

"All right, you lot, there are going to be some rules," Ms. Cooper announced to the group of eleven. "First, unless you are related or are sitting beside each other in the driver and shotgun seats, there is to be no co-ed seating. Girls must be beside girls, and boys must be beside boys. Second, you will not get ahead of the buses and will stop where we stop along the way. Third, if there seems to be a problem, call me and let me know so we can take care of it properly. And the last but most important rule is that only Riven and Sky are allowed to drive the rental vehicle. They're the two I put on the list as possible drivers, so they're the only two who will be covered by the rental insurance if there's a crash. Do you guys have any questions?"

Tecna put her hand up. "What about our luggage?"

Ms. Cooper paused and thought it over. "We'll put your suitcases on the first bus. You have luggage tags on them, correct?"

There was a chorus of, "Yes, ma'am."

Ms. Cooper smiled satisfiedly. "Good. Any other questions?"

"Do you have the itinerary printed out?" Bloom queried.

The black-haired woman put a hand to her head and sighed. "I do not. Could you go do that for me?"

The redhead smiled and nodded before she darted out of the auditorium to do Ms. Cooper's bidding.

"I have no idea what I'll do when she graduates in two years," Ms. Cooper mumbled. "Well, if you have no more questions, please head out front to where the buses are. I'll pull the rental around front shortly." Without really even giving them a chance to ask any more questions, the drama teacher turned around and walked off.

"I guess we should head to the front porch, then," Brandon announced after a long silence. There was a murmur of agreement and the group moved to head outside.

They were all quiet as they huddled together on the sidewalk outside. It was still cool outside with it being an early spring morning, so they were mainly concerned with keeping warm. There wasn't much discussion going on between them when Bloom finally showed up, one piece of paper in her hand.

"You only printed one sheet?" Timmy inquired.

The redhead paused in her beeline to Musa's side. "For our group, yes. All it says is what time we need to be up for what parks or places we'll be going. If you don't know what time to get up, you can text us and ask." She resumed her pace and pulled Musa off to the side. Lowering her voice, she spoke quickly, "We have a problem."

Musa blinked. "Already?"

"We aren't going to a Disney park tomorrow, and on Wednesday we're not going to a park at all," Bloom continued as though Musa had never spoken.

Musa grabbed the itinerary out of Bloom's hands. "Sea World?" the raven-haired girl breathed out. "Oh. My. God. We're going to Sea World!?"

Bloom looked shocked. "Why are you so excited about this?"

"_Whales_, B! We get to see _whales_!" the pig-tailed girl exclaimed excitedly. **(5)**

"Oh, good god," Sky groaned. Bloom blinked and looked over her shoulder to see the group had migrated closer because of Musa's excitement. "She's going to be going on about the whales forever..." he mumbled, rubbing at his face.

"Don't be dissing the whales!" Musa snapped. She then looked back at Bloom. "Why did you call this a problem?"

Bloom sighed. "We're going to _Disney World_, Muse. There are _four_ major parks there, and we're only going to _two_. Do you understand now?"

"So in essence we're only seeing half of Disney World?" Timmy asked.

"Yes, exactly," Bloom answered.

Tecna cleared her throat. "Actually, I believe it will be less than half. Animal Kingdom is the largest park, and Epcot is fairly large as well. According to this, we're only going to Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios," the fuchsia-haired girl pointed out.

Bloom hissed, "Tecna, _hush_."

Tecna looked slightly hurt. "What?"

Bloom glanced meaningfully in the direction of Savannah, who was slightly pouting. The fuchsia-haired girl looked chagrined but since an apology would be useless, she stayed silent.

Stella tried to do some damage control. "At least we're going to the two best-known ones. She can meet Ariel at Magic Kingdom and can get a princess dress and everything!"

"I heard that the 'Fantasmic' show they do at Hollywood Studios is their best nighttime event," Helia added. **(6)**

Savannah brightened considerably at this news, and Sky looked relieved almost immediately.

Flora happened to glance over at the buses in time to see an SUV pull up behind them. "Bloom, is that the rental?" the brunette girl asked, effectively changing the subject as everyone looked over to see.

"Yeah, that's it!" Bloom answered, nodding her head. "Should we go ahead and get over there to see what our seating arrangements will be like?"

They all agreed and started filing through the students to get to the rental vehicle. When they reached the dark red SUV **(7)**, they came to a stop and looked at their teacher.

Ms. Cooper started to hold the keys out to Riven but aborted the movement. "You better not do any reckless driving in this rental vehicle, Mr. Peters, or I will take away your driving privileges."

"I won't," Riven muttered, waiting rather patiently for the keys, Bloom thought. The drama teacher handed the key over to him before heading toward the front porch to (most likely) tell the students to board their respective buses.

Helia opened the back door and peered inside. "Wow, this is nice. And it looks like we'll be sitting in groups of three."

"I wanna sit in the very back," Brandon stated suddenly.

"I'm fine with that, too," Timmy agreed. "I don't like riding shotgun.

The raven-haired boy took a slight step back. "I suppose I'll sit back there with you two, then," he offered.

"I wanna sit between Bloom and Musa," Savannah requested.

Both girls grinned and shrugged. "I'm down with that," Musa replied.

"So am I," Bloom agreed. She shifted her gaze to Sky. "Guess that means you get to ride shotgun."

Sky didn't seem very happy about the news, but he didn't make a comment as he opened the front passenger side door and got in. **(8)**

"I wanna sit near Sky, too," Savannah murmured with a slight pout.

"We can sit in the first row of three, then," Musa answered.

Bloom, figuring it was the easiest route, climbed into the SUV and slid to the seat to the far side so she was behind Riven. Savannah happily took the middle seat while Musa sat behind Sky. The grin on Musa's face worried Bloom a little. "Muse, I will force you to switch seats with me if you pester him the entire ride. I don't want to deal with him being any more irritable," she warned, which caused the raven-haired girl's grin to drop slightly.

"But it's almost a twelve-hour drive from here," Musa protested. "There's no way I can go that long without bothering him, B."

Bloom resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I don't believe that, Muse. But if that really is the case, then you'll have to switch seats with me."

"You two are sounding like a mother and her child," Riven muttered, sending them both a glare. "It's annoying."

Bloom and Musa shared a look before wisely shutting up and putting on their seatbelts.

Tecna leaned over to whisper to Flora, "Is it already starting?"

The brunette girl glanced at Stella (who was seated to her right) before looking back at Tecna. "Why do you think Stella's been quiet?" Flora answered Tecna's question with a rhetorical one. "This ride can either be very long and bad or very long and good."

Tecna nodded before resuming her original upright position and looking out the window. The had the potential to be one of the worst road trips ever, though she didn't comprehend why Riven might possibly dislike this vehicle.

They all sat in a rather awkward silence as they waited to see how Riven would react, even though they were still parked and waiting for the buses to depart. A couple of minutes passed before Riven was finally able to shift the car into "drive."

Still, silence reigned.

Until finally...

"Bloom?" Riven spoke his sister's name so suddenly that nearly everyone jumped in their seats.

The redhead hesitated slightly. "Yeah, Riv?"

"I love this SUV."

The relief that washed over everyone in the car was immediate (and audible).

"I'm glad you think so, Riv," Bloom answered sincerely.

Riven was practically caressing the steering wheel. "It's a lot better than that car you just _had _to have."

"There is nothing wrong with my car!" Bloom protested.

Riven snorted. "Bloom, if I didn't know how to repair it, your car would have cost more in repairs than we paid for it. How many times have we had problems with it ingesting oil and with the battery cables refusing to stay secure?"

"Those are minor issues! And besides, Ursula hasn't caused any chaos for us recently!" Bloom retorted.

Sky turned in his seat with a laugh. "You _named_ your car?"

"What's wrong with naming my car?" Bloom asked, crossing her arms.

Sky grinned and shook his head. "Oh, nothing."

Musa chose to hit him upside the head at that moment. As he hissed in pain, the raven-haired girl announced, "There's nothing wrong with that. I named my car 'Merryweather.' It gives her personality." She paused before adding, "By the way, I call yours Galadriel."

Sky's brows furrowed. "Isn't that the elf queen from _Lord of the Rings_?" **(9)**

"Yeah. She made me think of you because you both have long, blonde hair. But that's where the similarities end because she's really intelligent and almost kind of omniscient. Plus, she's supposed to be known for being extremely beautiful. I _wanted _to name your car after Thranduil, but it looked too feminine," Musa answered.

Bloom snorted, "And Randy Thrandy _doesn't_ look feminine?"

Musa pretended to stroke her chin in thought. "I totally wasn't thinking about that. I guess it's not too late to change the name to Thranduil. I'd have a blast calling his car 'Randy Thrandy' when I got the opportunity."

"Or you could, you know, _not _name _my car_," Sky retorted.

"Oh, come on, dude, lighten up," Brandon called from the backseat. "There's nothing wrong with your car being named Thranduil."

Sky shot his best friend a dark look. "I don't even like Thranduil. His character is ridiculous."

Musa grinned. "All the better, then! 'Thranduil' it is!"

"Musa, we could at least choose a girly character he somewhat likes," Bloom admonished.

"Of course, B. What did you have in mind, oh loyal defender?" Musa queried, sending the redhead a look that prompted a dark blush.

Though Bloom knew Musa was saying it in jest, the comment still had a barbed ending, and she visibly flinched. Face burning hotly in embarrassment, Bloom turned her head to look out the window in order to keep from snapping back. It was oddly quiet in the car.

Sky shot Musa a "what the hell?" look, and the raven-haired girl frowned. She hadn't meant to hurt Bloom's feelings; it had just been one of her usual, teasing comments.

Musa opened her mouth to apologize, but Bloom didn't let her get that far. "What about Lindir? He's not blonde, but he always struck me as feminine," the redhead mused.

"Who the heck is Lindir?" Stella inquired.

Helia piped up from the back, "He's Elrond's aide."

"He's a brunette elf. If you saw _The Hobbit_, he was the one who was basically following Elrond around and was also the one who alerted him that the dwarfs and Bilbo had left," Timmy added.

"Oh, I know who you're talking about. He was okay," Sky agreed.

Both Bloom's and Musa's mouths dropped open. "'Okay'? 'He was _okay'_?" Musa repeated.

"Lindir's amazing! He was absolutely adorable!" Bloom exclaimed.

Riven snorted from the front. "Lindir didn't _do _anything to be considered 'amazing' from what I recall."

"He's not even a major character! How is he supposed to _do_ something amazing?" Bloom retorted.

"You don't have to be a major character 'to do something amazing.' There were plenty of minor characters who did cool stuff," Riven replied.

"Oh, really? Name some," Bloom challenged.

"Eothain, for starters," Riven answered immediately.

Bloom sighed softly. "The young boy who was sent to Edoras with his little sister? I guess I can see his riding there and fainting as 'amazing.' But that's only one character."

"What about the boy at Helm's Deep who helps in the battle? He talks to Aragorn about how the older men think they won't survive," Helia suggested.

"His name is Haleth," Tecna added helpfully.

Bloom frowned. "There were tons of kids who fought, though, and we don't know if he was any good at fighting."

"I'd still call that amazing," Sky threw in his two cents.

"He wasn't given a choice, though. If he'd been like Gavroche in _Les Mis, _then yeah, I'd be all for calling him 'amazing.' But he wasn't out there fighting solely because he wanted to. He was out there because they didn't stand a chance without every available fighter, whether they could fight or not," Bloom argued.

"Aw, Bloom, why'd you have to bring up Gavroche?" Flora murmured quietly, sounding close to tears.

The redhead frowned. "Sorry, Flora. I didn't have any other references."

Helia spoke up, "Bloom has a point, even though Gavroche could be considered a major character. I'll concede that Haleth is nowhere near the same level as Gavroche, and they were both supposedly fourteen."

It was silent in the car again as everyone sunk into thought.

"What about Eowyn?" Brandon finally suggested, sounding rather proud of himself.

"Eowyn isn't a minor character," Musa shot down. "She killed a nozgul, for goodness sakes, and had plenty of scenes she was involved in."

"Does Haldir count as a minor character?" Tecna inquired after another moment of silence.

"_I _even remember Haldir," Stella commented. "I don't think he counts as too minor. He was in two of the films, wasn't he?"

"That was only because Peter Jackson wanted him to appear for the Battle of Helm's Deep. In the novels, Haldir led them through Lothlorien blindfolded, and then he was never brought back up," Timmy answered.

Riven grumbled, "But that means he only _did _anything in the films, and if the privileged princess-wannabe remembers him, he's not all that minor."

"Even if Stell didn't remember Haldir, he had an epic death scene," Bloom retorted. "If they take time to highlight his death like that, he's really not that minor."

After staying quiet for so long, Savannah finally gave her own input to bring them back to their original discussion. "I like the name Haldir. Can we name Sky's car that?" the strawberry-blonde girl asked, looking between her brother and her cousin.

Sky shrugged. "Haldir was my favorite elf. I'm all right with it."

If there was anyone on this earth that Musa couldn't possibly say "no" to, it was her little cousin. "Fine, we'll name his car Haldir," she muttered begrudgingly.

Savannah's face split into a grin, and Bloom hid her laugh beneath a cough. The redhead ignored the glare Musa sent her way. "Oh, and Riven? Eothain was the only one you came up with. Feel free to think on it If you want, and get back to me," Bloom offered, her voice overly sweet.

"Bloom, shut up," Riven retorted, though his tone was lacking its usual bite were he really angry. In fact, it even sounded like there may have been a touch of amusement to it.

Bloom grinned and answered with fake sweetness, "Of course, dear brother!"

Ultimately, yes, she had defeated the purpose by speaking, but Riven felt his lips twitch as he fought back a smile. His sister could be such a pest sometimes, but he loved her anyway.

* * *

Several hours later they were pulling off the interstate, and Bloom perked up immediately. "Oh, thank god, we're stopping for lunch!" she exclaimed in a rush.

There were several echoes of the same sentiment, and a few minutes later they were parked at a McDonald's that was placed in the middle of a row of several other fast food restaurants. Bloom was one of the first ones out of the SUV, and she stopped short when she caught sight of what was next to the McDonald's. "Musa!" she called back over her shoulder. The raven-haired girl was putting away her iPhone. "Musa!"

"What?" the pig-tailed girl asked uninterestedly, though her tone was touched with a hint of annoyance.

"They have a Taco Bell next door!" Bloom exclaimed.

Musa's head whipped up, and she jerked up her purse. "What're you waiting for!? Pick up Savannah and go!"

Bloom nearly fell over laughing at the urgency Musa showed to get to Taco Bell, but she did as Musa had ordered and picked up Savannah before booking it over to the Taco Bell.

The others were still in the process of climbing out of the SUV, but they had stopped to watch the two girls for a moment.

"Am I the only one who is completely confused by that response?" Timmy asked.

Sky laughed. "That is a normal response from Musa with any place that sells tacos. She loves them." **(10)**

Flora shrugged. "Bloom really likes the Doritos Locos Tacos at Taco Bell."

Riven snorted, "Not as much as she likes Chick-Fil-A."

"What's wrong with Chick-Fil-A?" Brandon asked defensively.

"Nothing's wrong with her choice of restaurant," Riven answered.

Stella laughed. "Yeah, we don't have anything against Chick-Fil-A. But Bloom... Well, let's just say that Bloom would have been at that Chick-Fil-A in seconds. There would not have been a 'calmly get out of the car' option. She'd go through the car window if she had to."

"The only thing she likes more than Chick-Fil-A is pizza," Riven elaborated. After a pause, he added, "And maybe hot dogs."

"As interesting as all this may be, I'm starving, and Taco Bell sounds really good right now," Brandon stated before the conversation could develop further.

Several people laughed. "Is everyone all right with Taco Bell? Flora, Helia?" Sky inquired.

The aforementioned couple shared a glance, and Helia looked at the blonde with a quirked brow. "Why does everyone always check with us?"

Sky hesitated slightly. "Aren't you vegetarians?"

Flora's brows furrowed. "No," she answered with a hint of confusion. "What made you think that?"

"Wait—you're not?" Brandon asked incredulously. "But you never eat meat!"

"Correction: you've never _seen_ us eating it," Helia remarked. "But that doesn't mean we _don't _eat it."

Flora shrugged. "I just prefer to eat fruits and vegetables and salads. All that grease messes with my stomach after a couple days eating it."

"My uncle is a big meat eater, so I like to eat different foods when I'm not eating dinner at home," Helia explained.

Timmy smiled and shook his head before he adjusted his glasses. "Wow. I never would have expected that."

"You three don't seem too surprised," Sky commented, looking between Riven, Stella, and Tecna.

Stella crossed her arms and scoffed. "Flora's one of my best friends. Of course I know her eating habits."

"And if you guys had paid attention, Bloom asked Helia about his food preferences one evening," Tecna added.

Riven simply shrugged. "That pretty much covered it. So can we go eat now?"

"No one's keeping you, Riven," Brandon replied.

"I can't lock the doors when you're still halfway in the car, Brandon," Riven retorted flatly.

The brunette boy grinned as he fully emerged from the SUV and shut the door. "Oops," he stated unrepentantly.

The car beeped twice to signal it was locked, and Riven turned around and headed to the Taco Bell.

By the time Sky worked his way through the line and found the trio of girls, they had mostly finished eating and were in the company of Nicolas.

"Hey," the dirty blonde greeted Sky around a mouthful of taco.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Nick," Bloom told him absently as she unwrapped her last taco.

Nicolas blushed faintly and swallowed the remnants of the bite in his mouth. "Sorry," he murmured before looking up at Sky. "Dude, have you ever had one of those Doritos Locos Tacos? They're amazing. Bloom let me try one of hers and I had to go back and order some."

Sky knew it was ridiculous, but he felt a flash of anger burn through him at the thought. Nicolas was a good friend of his, but he couldn't stand the idea of Bloom doing anything overly friendly with the dirty-blonde boy. Setting his tray down a bit too roughly, Sky slid into the seat directly across from his sister.

Bloom looked up from her taco just before she was going to take a bite and quirked a brow at him. "What's wrong with you? You've been in a pissy mood all morning."

"He didn't get his beauty sleep," Musa answered, causing Sky's eyes to narrow at her.

"Musa, you're not helping," Bloom remarked mildly in order to keep Sky from snapping at the raven-haired girl. Musa made a face but went back to munching on her taco. "All right, Blondie, what's the problem? Did you really not get enough sleep?"

"I got plenty of sleep," Sky retorted acidly.

Bloom was slightly taken aback by his tone. "All right, Sky. I'm sorry I asked," she muttered, half angry and half hurt. She looked back at her taco and bit into it to distract herself.

"Skyler Johnson!" Savannah suddenly exclaimed angrily. "Apologize to her right now!"

It was suddenly very quiet on their side of the Taco Bell, and all eyes were cast in their direction. Brandon (who had finally showed up with his and Stella's food) whistled lowly. "Wow, she means business, dude. You really made her mad," he mumbled to his blonde friend as he sat down across from Musa.

"Savannah, don't cause a scene. We're in public," Sky whispered angrily.

"Oh, no," Nicolas muttered, finding his food very interesting all of a sudden.

Savannah couldn't seem to decide between hurt or anger (or she was trying to be angry to cover the hurt).

Bloom pushed her chair back and stalked around the table. "Up, now," she ordered the blonde boy. When Sky didn't move, she gritted out, "If you think Savannah caused a scene, then I don't know what you'd call what I'm about to do if you don't get up, Sky."

Sky stood up (slowly) and Bloom gripped his forearm tightly as she dragged him through the Taco Bell and outside. Rather than start yelling at him immediately, she continued dragging him until they were in the grassy area that separated the Taco Bell and the McDonald's. She released his arm and tried to calm down before she turned to look at him.

"All right, I don't know what the hell your problem is, Sky, and quite frankly, I don't give a damn at this moment. You've been acting petulant all morning, and it had seemed to clear up a bit in the car. Obviously, it didn't or we wouldn't be outside the damned Taco Bell right now! I don't give a freakin' rat's ass if you apologize to me for how you spoke, but you are _not _going to talk to your _eight-year-old sister_ like that! For god's sake, you sounded like _Diaspro_!"

Sky released a noise out of frustration and ran a hand through his hair. He seriously had way too much pent-up irritation that he needed to get rid of. He felt like he was being haunted by Diaspro's actions, even though he knew Bloom and Nicolas weren't like that with each other. It was just eating him alive. "I'm sorry," he finally told her hoarsely, turning to face her. "You're right. I shouldn't have said that to Savannah, and I'm sure I did sound like Diaspro. I'm just...still bothered by some stuff that happened yesterday, and then I honestly _didn't_ get much sleep. This morning I woke up to Savannah scolding me about last night, and my mood has progressively gotten worse."

Bloom studied him for a long moment, even though she knew she wouldn't stay angry with him. Sighing softly, she shifted on her feet self-consciously. "Don't take offense to this, but I really think you have a mind like a girl's sometimes. Minus the whole 'I'm not going to tell anyone anything even though I might get angry enough to mutilate someone' mindset that most guys seem to have."

Sky gave her a look that showed he wasn't really in the mood for anything even remotely like a joke or teasing. "Not funny, Bloom."

Bloom smiled and shrugged. "I wasn't really doing it for your sake, anyway." Her turquoise eyes glinted up at him, and he felt his breath catch. Something in her eyes shifted after that, and she looked away. "We should probably get back in there. Your food's getting cold, and there's only so much comfort Nicolas can offer your sister."

Sky nearly tripped over himself to get at least one pace ahead of her. "Wouldn't she get it from Musa, anyway?"

Her laughter startled him. "Oh, wow, you don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Sky asked warily as he opened the door.

Her turquoise eyes were alight with mischief when she answered, "Your little sister has a crush on Nicolas. I noticed it the first night I met her and have only strengthened the conviction over the past weeks."

Sky was dumbfounded. She had to be joking.

Bloom's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't say anything to her about it. She's obviously tried not to let anyone know, and it's common for girls her age. She'll grow out of it." Sky still looked like nothing would ever make sense again, so Bloom grabbed his hand and tugged his arm lightly to make him walk. Several heads turned their way, but she didn't release his hand until they reached their table.

Since Savannah had (as she'd expected) taken her seat next to Nicolas, Bloom took the strawberry-blonde's vacated seat beside Musa. Sky (not-so-subtly) asked Nicolas to move so he could talk to Savannah, so Bloom directed her gaze to Musa (who had finally finished her eight tacos).

"Thus far we've done a shitty job of keeping you two from being alone together," Musa commented, just to make the redhead laugh.

It worked. "Thanks, Muse. I needed that," Bloom told her softly.

"No problem. But I feel I should warn you about something before I forget," the raven-haired girl replied.

Bloom looked cautious. "Um, okay?"

"It's highly possible you two might hear comments about Savannah," Musa stated vaguely. When Bloom simply sat there looking at her, she elaborated, "Half the Taco Bell thinks you're her parents."

Bloom's eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?"

"It's true," Riven muttered from the other side of Musa.

"Yeah," Brandon also felt the need to add assurance. "Several parents told their kids, 'That's why you don't have sex until after you're married; you could end up with someone you don't get along with for the rest of your life.' I don't know how old they think you two are since Savannah looks at least four and that would mean you'd have had her when you were twelve."

Bloom held up a hand to keep him from continuing. "Brandon, they weren't thinking through it like that. They saw a blonde and a redhead with a strawberry-blonde girl, and that was all they needed to make their assumptions."

"That was all who needed to make their assumptions about what?" Sky asked as he sat down in the seat he'd been in prior to being dragged outside (which was now the one across from Bloom).

"According to Musa, half the Taco Bell is under the assumption that Savannah is our daughter," Bloom answered without any inflection.

Sky blinked, startled. "Wh-what?" he stuttered, his face flushing.

"Yeah, we know; they're idiots," Riven replied, causing Musa and Brandon to snigger.

Bloom didn't comment as she picked up her discarded taco from earlier and bit into it. After she swallowed that bite, she motioned at Sky's tray of food. "Eat, or I'll have Brandon force-feed you," she ordered, her tone serious.

Brandon snorted but didn't speak out against her statement. Sky didn't believe his best friend would do it, but he set to eating his food anyway; he _was _hungry after all. Besides, there was no need in causing more commotion and drawing even more attention to their group—they stuck out enough without being loud. And of course it didn't help with what his friends and cousin had said about the patrons thinking his little sister was actually his daughter.

The only benefit that came from such ridiculousness was that he was distracted from the insecurity that had been plaguing him for the last twenty-four hours.

* * *

Riven was quite certain these next few evenings would be extremely awkward. He wasn't really "close" with any of the guys he was rooming with, and it took everything in him not to claim the couch as his sleeping quarters the moment he saw it. He had no intentions of being anyone's "roomie."

"This room is bogus," Brandon announced spontaneously as he came out of one of the two bedrooms.

Timmy blinked at the brunette. "What are you talking about? This room is a suite."

"I know, which is why it's bogus. One of the rooms has a king-sized bed while the other has a set of double beds," Brandon explained, crossing his arms.

Timmy's eyes widened. "Dibs on a double bed!" he shouted.

Riven held up a hand. "I'll take the couch."

Brandon deflated. "Which means we're stuck with the king-sized bed, Sky."

Sky resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I knew that the moment you said there was a king-sized bed. It wouldn't be fair to make the others stay in the same bed. Besides, we've done it before," the blonde muttered as he moved around his brunette friend and headed to his "designated" room.

"Yeah, but I didn't have to deal with you being in a pissy-ass mood," the brunette mumbled to himself as he followed after the blonde.

Timmy shook his head before carting his suitcase to the room with the double beds.

Helia didn't move as he watched Riven set his bag on the couch. "You don't have to leave your bag in here. I'm sure there's a closet in at least one of the bedrooms."

Riven was slightly startled by Helia talking; he'd thought the raven-haired boy had gone after Timmy. "Thanks," he answered shortly, hoping that was all.

But Helia wasn't through. "If you want, Timmy and I can switch out with you so you aren't on the couch every night."

The burgundy-haired boy shook his head. "No, it's fine. I prefer the couch." After a pause he added, "But thanks."

Helia looked like he wanted to say more, but he kept quiet. As he turned to head into the room he'd be sharing with Timmy, he stated, "If you change your mind, let me know."

Riven didn't dignify that with a response as he moved his bag to the corner nearby before promptly plopping down onto the couch in a seated position. He let his head fall back against the couch cushion as he stared at the ceiling. He felt out of place in this little "group" of theirs. He didn't really get on well with any of them—hell, really, the only two who seemed to know each other were Sky and Brandon. He, Timmy, and Helia were all just kind of...there, without any real attachment to each other or to Brandon or Sky. It didn't seem like it bothered Timmy or Helia, though.

Riven picked his head up when he heard someone sigh and sit down. He quirked a brow at the blonde boy, but he didn't comment or ask a question. In return, Sky didn't say anything; he simply sat there with an odd expression on his face that Riven was sure he'd seen before but couldn't quite place.

Riven had just allowed his head to fall back against the cushion again when Brandon emerged from his and Sky's room and pulled one of the armchairs over near the couch. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not really tired yet," Brandon commented as he sat down, and Riven had to bite back a curse. He'd driven nearly twelve hours and they'd already stopped and had dinner. All he wanted to do was sleep after the long day he'd had.

"You might just be the only one, then," Sky replied. "I'm exhausted, and with all the driving he had to do, I know Riven has to be."

Brandon crossed his arms. "No offense, dude, but you're the one who stayed out late last night, so I can't say I really pity you."

"Brandon, be nice. I'm sure he had his reasons," Helia admonished the brunette lightly as he sat down on the floor and crossed his legs Indian style.

Brandon snorted and muttered something beneath his breath.

"Oh, shut up," Sky snapped, his eyes narrowing at the brunette. "You don't know a damned thing about last night!"

"Yeah, because you won't _tell anyone_!" the brunette retorted heatedly.

"Oh, for the love of—_that's_ why you're so angry!? Because I won't tell you this _one _thing!?" the blonde exclaimed.

"It doesn't have to be me, but you at least need to tell _someone_! You've been acting like a jerk all day!"

"Guys!" Timmy suddenly shouted to cut their argument short. Both boys glanced at him, startled, and he continued in a more normal tone, "Will you stop yelling? We haven't even been here twenty minutes and you're already well on your way to getting us in trouble. Brandon, you're the only one who keeps provoking Sky. Even Musa stopped after lunch. We know he's been acting like a jerk, but coincidentally, it's only really bad when someone's pestering him."

Helia nodded. "Timmy's right. You can't get mad at him for snapping at you when you keep making provocative comments. He's not slipping up and telling you what you want to know or hear, so stop doing it."

Brandon opened his mouth to reply, but this time Riven cut him off. "You're making everyone around you miserable. We aren't defending Sky's outbursts and his girlish sulking, but you definitely haven't been helping to calm him down."

"What do you mean my 'girlish sulking'?" Sky muttered irritably.

Riven shrugged nonchalantly. "You've been heaving sighs randomly like you want someone to talk to you about whatever's bugging you, but when anyone tries, you make a huge deal out of it. That is the way all girls I have ever met sulk. Guys sulk quietly and will eventually just tell someone without making a big deal out of it."

Sky snorted, "Guys make big deals out of things when they sulk, too, Riven."

"You're free to think that, but not many guys sulk the way you have," Riven remarked with a smirk as the blonde heaved an exasperated sigh and slumped back into the couch.

"You're impossible. Probably even more-so than your sister," the blonde muttered.

Riven really didn't like how often Sky compared him to his sister. This was one of many (past) observations that Sky had made, and it irked him because he and Bloom couldn't be fairly compared. "Will you quit making statements about my sister and me? We may have the same parents, but we still weren't brought up the same way. I don't care how much you think you know about her, but you don't know a damn thing about me," Riven growled.

The other four boys were slightly taken aback at Riven's harsh reply. "I'm sorry, Riven. I didn't know it bothered you. I'll try to keep from doing it again," Sky answered softly, and Riven gritted his teeth.

At that moment, Riven's cell phone went off, causing all five boys to jump slightly. He fished it out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Oh, jeez. You're already irritated. What happened?" Bloom sighed on the other end of the line.

Riven saw Sky perk up when he heard Bloom's voice, and he had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Brandon and Sky argued because Sky was sulking like a girl. It was entertaining until he made a remark comparing the two of us."

His sister was quiet for a moment. "I assume by 'he' you mean Sky, and by 'us' you mean you and me. Is that right?"

"Yes."

"I know you hate it, but it's not that big a deal. We are a lot alike, even if we didn't get that way the same way. He's not being judgmental when he says it."

Riven hated it when she made his outbursts seem petty. "Whatever. Why'd you call?"

Bloom laughed. "We just wanted to check up on you guys since Sky's been in a bad mood."

The burgundy-haired boy smirked at that. "Hold on. I'm putting the phone on speaker, and I want you to repeat what you just said," Riven ordered.

"Riv," Bloom sighed, and he imagined she was shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

Riven pulled his phone away from his ear and pressed the button that would put her on speaker. "Okay. Repeat what you said."

"We just wanted to check up on you guys since Sky's been in a bad mood," Bloom replied.

"Oh, come on," Sky complained as Brandon hooted in laughter and Riven's smirk grew. Even Timmy and Helia seemed to be fighting smiles.

Bloom laughed slightly. "Sorry, but you have been."

Sky didn't reply and instead crossed his arms and proceeded to sulk.

Brandon laughed as he stated, "Since you can't see, he's currently pouting."

"I am not _pouting_!" the blonde protested, his face flushing darkly.

"That's even your pouting voice," Musa snorted, and there was some background noise that none of the guys could decipher. "And in case you're curious, you're on speaker phone over here, too. Bloom's gone to get the others, and Savannah's taking a bath."

"Please tell me she heard about Sky pouting," Brandon entreated hopefully.

Musa laughed. "Oh, yeah, she did. You probably heard her laughing, but she said he wasn't allowed to pout when we're this close to the happiest place on earth."

That set Brandon off into another bout of laughter, and Sky seriously contemplated smothering his best friend with a pillow.

"So Musa, what are the sleeping arrangements in there?" Timmy asked in order to change the discussion to a safer topic.

"Well, it looks like we've got a suite or something. There are two bedrooms and a living room area. One bedroom has two double beds, which is where Flora, Tecna, and Stella are staying. The other bedroom has a king-sized bed, which is where Bloom, Savannah, and I are staying."

Timmy grinned. "Hey, you guys have the same room layout as we do."

"Huh. That's cool. How are you guys set up?" Musa asked, though she didn't sound all that interested.

"Timmy and I are sleeping in the room with the double beds; Brandon and Sky have the king-sized bed; and Riven called dibs on the sofa," Helia answered.

"Ha! I was right!" Bloom announced triumphantly.

"Yeah, yeah," Stella retorted.

"Please tell me you didn't bet on what the sleeping arrangements were," Sky stated incredulously, emerging from his sulk.

"Unfortunately, no, or Bloom and I would be thirty bucks richer," Musa answered.

Riven smirked and shook his head. His sister chose some of the weirdest people to befriend.

"So I take it Sky's still living since I heard him speak," Stella commented cheekily. There was a semi-loud smacking sound followed by Stella exclaiming, "Ow! What was that for, Bloom!?"

"Stop trying to provoke him. Your boyfriend's the one who has to deal with it if he gets mad," Bloom reprimanded.

"Besides, it's not any fun to pester him when he's already pissy," Musa added.

"You guys, be nice. Sky really hasn't been that bad," Flora scolded. "And when he _does_ get mad, it's because you guys have made comments."

"Yeah! My brother hasn't been that bad!" Savannah suddenly exclaimed. "So stop bothering him. He'll tell us what's wrong when he wants to."

Sky was slightly relieved to hear his sister's voice since that gave him the opportunity to change the subject. "So you finished your bath, huh?"

"Yep!" the young girl chirped. "And Bloom's gonna dry my hair after we get done talking to you!"

"That's good," Sky replied, smiling. He'd never seen his sister warm up to someone as quickly as she had Bloom, and he was glad that Savannah liked her and vice versa. Diaspro had never cared about Savannah's opinion of her, but Bloom seemed to care more about Savannah's opinion than anyone else's.

"We should probably be going to bed soon," Tecna commented. "We have to be ready to leave by seven in the morning. We're supposed to meet with the trip advisors and get our tickets for Disney World and Sea World."

"Of course. It's always 'get up early' with the school trips," Stella complained.

Riven rolled his eyes. "Quit your whining, _Princess_," he retorted sarcastically. "You've had a nap today."

"I have to have at least seven hours of sleep or I get bags under my eyes! Concealer only works so well, you know!" Stella retorted.

"Okay, okay—obviously we need to go ahead and stop this conversation. It sounds like several people need sleep already," Bloom sighed.

"Yeah, before the PMD continues to spread," Musa agreed. **(11)**

Everyone went completely silent, and the guys looked between each other in confusion. What the hell did "PMD" mean?

"Uh, Musa, what does 'PMD' stand for?" Sky asked hesitantly.

"Pissy Mood Disease," the raven-haired girl answered brightly.

"Okay, then!" Bloom announced quickly, and it sounded like she clapped her hands together. "Girls, say goodnight before Musa causes Sky to mutilate everyone."

Brandon and Riven sniggered, earning a dark look from the blonde.

"Goodnight, Timmy," Tecna was the first to obey Bloom's order.

Timmy smiled bashfully. "Goodnight, Tecna!" He paused and blushed before adding, "Je t'aime."

The four boys glanced at each other in confusion when Tecna answered, "Je t'aime, trop."

"What does that mean?" Brandon asked the ginger-haired boy quietly.

Timmy blushed a little darker but was saved from having to answer by Stella. "Goodnight, Snookums! I'll see you in the morning!" the blonde girl exclaimed.

"Goodnight, Princess!" he replied warmly. "Sleep well, milady!"

"Goodnight, Helia," Flora spoke slightly bashfully.

Helia smiled. "Goodnight. Sweet dreams, love," he replied.

"Y-you, too!" Flora squeaked out, and there was the sound of muffled giggles.

"Goodnight, Sky~" Savannah chirped. "I love you!"

Sky blushed slightly at the looks the other boys sent him. "Goodnight, sweetie. I love you, too."

Riven snorted. "You sound like her father," he muttered, and Sky glared at him.

"All right, boys, don't stay up too late. We won't be able to stand all of you in bad moods. We'll see you in the morning. Night, Riv. Night, everyone else." Bloom paused, and there was distinct noise in the background. "Okay, Musa and Savannah decreed that I say goodnight to you personally, Blondie, so that you won't pout, so... g'night!"

Sky's face flushed darkly at the accusation, and he muttered, "I would _not _have pouted."

"Yes, you would've," Brandon and Musa retorted at the same time.

Timmy, Riven, and Helia tried to muffle their laughter at the look on Sky's face. "Wait—is Bloom gone?" the blonde asked suddenly.

"Yeah, she drying Savannah's hair," Musa answered. "Why?"

Brandon grinned. "Aw, he wanted to tell her goodnight," the brunette teased, and Sky finally gave into temptation and chucked a pillow at his best friend.

"Eh, you can always text it to her," Musa replied, uninterested. "Well, goodnight! Let me know if Sky needs any Midol—I always have some with me 'cause you never know when you'll need it. See ya!" There was a clicking sound as the line went dead.

Riven started laughing silently, his shoulders shaking, as the other four boys looked at each other in confusion. When Riven noticed he was the only one who understood, he smirked and explained, "Midol is a type of medication made specifically for girls when they're cramping. Your cousin just insinuated you were on your period."

It was silent for a moment before Brandon asked, "Dude, why do you know that?"

Riven looked at him like he was an idiot. "You've met my _sister_, right?"

"I have a sister, too, but I don't know anything about that," Sky retorted.

Sometimes Riven wondered what his sister saw in the blonde boy. "Your sister is _eight_; my sister is _sixteen_. There's a reason you've never heard about it since your sister's too young to have started that. In a few years, you'll know more about it than you ever wanted to. Trust me," Riven grumbled.

"Joy," Sky muttered. They all went quiet for a long moment, and Sky suddenly stood. "All right; I'm off to bed. Night, guys." He maneuvered around Timmy and headed off into the room he was going to share with Brandon.

Timmy stood and stretched. "I'm gonna head to bed, too. Goodnight," he called with a wave of his hand.

"I may as well turn in, too. Goodnight," Helia bade them, covering his yawn with his hand as he stood and walked after Timmy.

"Night," Riven grunted.

"G'night, guys!" Brandon exclaimed, causing the burgundy-haired boy to roll his eyes. That wasn't necessary. Brandon turned to face him with a grin. "So I guess it's just you and me, huh?"

Riven didn't dignify that with a response as he made himself comfortable on the couch.

Once he'd finally stopped moving, Brandon asked, "So, what's going on between you and Musa?"

Riven was so startled he nearly fell off the couch. "What do you mean?"

Brandon shrugged. "It just seems like there's something there. I'm pretty sure she likes you."

Riven waited for the punch line, but it never came. "...and?"

"And it seems like you like her. Don't think no one's noticed how often you two willingly spend time together," Brandon teased.

"Well, I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but nothing's going on, Brandon," Riven snarled.

"Yet," the brunette amended.

Why did he never seem to make any sense? "What?" Riven asked.

"Nothing's going on _yet_. But I know Muse. She's about as stubborn as they come, so if she really wants a relationship with you, she'll make it happen so long as she knows you like her back," Brandon explained with a shrug.

Riven didn't like where this was headed. At all. He'd already been told as much by his sister, but he had a rule that unless more than one person felt the same conviction about something, then it wasn't likely. Yet here Brandon was, telling him that Musa liked him. "And who says I like her back?" he bit out.

Brandon smirked. "You do. You treat her distinctly differently than you do the other girls," he answered, standing and stretching. "All of us have noticed it." Grinning, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and started walking toward his room. "Well, night, buddy! See you in the morning!"

Riven was baffled by the short, and mostly one-sided, conversation he'd just had with Brandon. Was his attraction to Musa _that_ apparent? And why had it seemed like Brandon was fishing for an opportunity to give him advice on it? He shook his head at himself to keep from getting wrapped up in it; maybe Brandon had just been talking to talk. Although... he had seemed sincere enough. Riven stiffened slightly—what the hell was wrong with him? He was acting as though he had a reason to trust Brandon when they weren't even friends (though Brandon sure as hell seemed to act like they were).

Grunting slightly to himself, Riven turned onto his side (changing into pajamas be damned) and closed his eyes. He could think about this tomorrow; right now he just wanted to sleep.

* * *

Timmy was fiddling with his phone when the raven-haired boy returned from changing into his pajamas and brushing his teeth in the bathroom. Helia grinned as he slid onto the unoccupied bed. "Texting Tecna?" he asked as he made himself comfortable against the headboard.

Timmy nodded, smiling somewhat bashfully. "Um, yeah, I was," he murmured, staring down at his phone. "But she's actually going to sleep now, so…"

Helia chuckled softly. He could relate with that feeling. "It's weird, knowing they're right down the hallway. Kind of makes me want to break the rules."

"Yeah," Timmy agreed. "I mean, I know Tecna and I don't show all that much affection in public, but still, it's hard to stay here when I could be in there."

Helia angled himself slightly so he was facing Timmy as best he could. "You don't have to be publicly affectionate with each other to enjoy being together. Flora doesn't really like it, either, but I'm happy just being in the same room with her. I imagine that's how you and Tecna feel with each other."

Timmy nodded in an affirmative response, and they were quiet for a couple minutes, both lost in their own thoughts. "So," Timmy spoke up suddenly, angling his upper body to where he was facing Helia. "You call Flora 'love' now, huh?" The ginger-haired boy grinned as Helia shrugged.

"Yes, I've decided it may be the easiest way to acclimate her to the word for when I think she's ready to hear me say it," Helia answered sincerely. He knew it probably sounded odd, considering they hadn't been together very long, but he was almost certain that he had fallen in love with the brunette girl—and if he hadn't yet, then he was definitely in the process of it.

Timmy could understand that. He wished he'd been as confident about it as Helia, but things had turned out perfectly fine for him and Tecna. Granted, they were still in the stages of saying it in English, but at least they had a way to say it where it wasn't as embarrassing for them to speak it in front of the others.

"Timmy?" Helia's voice brought the ginger-haired boy back to his surroundings. Almost like thinking about it had conjured the thought to pop into the raven-haired boy's head, Helia continued when he noticed he had Timmy's attention, "You said 'je t'aime' to Tecna when we were telling the girls goodnight. What does that mean?"

Timmy fiddled with his phone nervously, pushing his glasses up onto his nose more securely. "It's, um, French," he stammered slightly. "For 'I love you.' Some of Tecna's family lives in France, so she taught me a little of it."

Helia smiled at how nervous Timmy was acting. He was a great guy, and it was easy to tell that Tecna adored him. Helia just wished Timmy could use that to feel less self-conscious about it. "So I assume that 'je t'aime, trop' means 'I love you, too'?" Helia queried, feeling no need to make things more awkward by commenting on Timmy's insecurity.

"Yes," Timmy answered shortly, though not unkindly. After a short silence between them, Timmy asked hesitantly, "Helia?" Helia hummed softly to show he was listening, and Timmy paused before asking in a rush, "How will you know when Flora's ready to hear you say that?"

Helia chuckled softly, relaxing back against the headboard. "I don't think that's what you're really asking me, is it?" he teased kindly. Timmy blushed faintly but didn't respond so Helia assumed he was correct. "Girls drop subtle hints the same way guys do. If the back of her hand brushes against yours more than once when she's not standing or walking that close to you, she probably wants you to hold her hand. If she has her head tilted back and is smiling up at you, she's likely angling for a kiss. If she's teaching you French just because she wants to and happens to tell you how to say 'I love you' in that language, then you can probably bet she wants you to say it to her. " The raven-haired boy grinned at the blush that darkened Timmy's face. "Those are just a few things, obviously. And I bet you'd notice more of them if you thought over things Tecna may have done or said that didn't seem to make sense in the context."

"Huh," Timmy intoned, staring down at his phone in his hands. Helia had given him quite a bit to think about, and he had to say he preferred this sort of advice over the advice Brandon had given him. He shifted his gaze to the raven-haired boy and smiled brightly. "Thanks, Helia! I really appreciate it."

Helia smiled and nodded. "Anytime, Timmy. That's what friends are for, right?"

Timmy was slightly startled by the term "friends." He hadn't really thought of anyone in their group as a friend since these weren't typically the sort of people he'd hang out with. But if he thought about it, maybe they were friends. They certainly hung out often enough, and they helped each other out (within reason). An unexpected burst of happiness welled up in him, and Timmy grinned. "Right!"

* * *

Sky emerged from the bathroom and glanced at Brandon to see the brunette boy had a goofy grin on his face. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers before making himself comfortable. He ventured another glance at his best friend to see he was still spacing out and grinning. Unable to stand it, the blonde asked, "I take it you've spoken to Stella?"

"Yeah," the brunette sighed happily. "She called me." And since he was incapable of not teasing his friend a little bit, he added, "While you were sulking in the bathroom."

Sky closed his eyes and sighed wearily, refusing to rise to the bait. "What did she want to say?"

"She wanted to say a proper goodnight." Brandon's grin transformed into a smug smile. "She also told me what she was wearing." **(12)**

Sky held up a hand. "That's more than I wanted to know, dude."

Brandon was unrepentant. "You're just jealous because you don't know what Bloom's wearing."

"You forget that Bloom's already slept in a pair of my clothes before," Sky retorted. The answering curse from Brandon was all Sky needed to feel satisfied with his choice of response. It was silent for a few minutes, and Sky was about to drift off when Brandon nudged him. "What?" he mumbled, turning his head to look at the brunette.

"Did you text her?"

Sky tried to blink through his sleepy state. "No. I figured it'd be pointless since she didn't say goodnight to me voluntarily."

Brandon snorted and rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot, Sky. Not even Savannah can make Bloom do something she doesn't want to do. It just gave her the excuse she needed." Sky didn't look very convinced, so Brandon threw his arms up exasperatedly. "Fine, don't believe me. But if you asked everyone else, they'd say the same thing."

Sky frowned, glancing over at his phone. He honestly did want to text her, but he was worried about how she would respond. She'd been acting a little off all day, and she had practically ignored him while they were eating dinner. He was used to everyone else interrupting any sort of moment they had, but he wasn't used to her avoiding talking to him. She'd also kind of jerked away from him when he had touched her arm to get her attention. The thought sent the pain of the rejection lancing through him again, and he shut his eyes tightly. There was no use in thinking about that.

Brandon suddenly got up, and Sky's eyes snapped open as the bed shifted slightly. "What're you doing?" the blonde asked suspiciously. Brandon didn't reply, but it became obvious pretty quickly when he snatched up Sky's phone. Sky laid there in shock for a couple of seconds, and then he was scrambling up. "Brandon, what the hell!?" he exclaimed, going after the brunette as he retreated, intent on what he was typing. "Brandon, give it back!" The order fell on deaf ears, however, and Sky started struggling with his best friend in an effort to get to his phone.

Brandon suddenly turned around with a grin and dropped the iPhone in his best friend's hands. "There. You have your phone back."

Sky clenched his free hand into a fist that he barely kept from swinging at the brunette. He'd never wanted to hit the boy more in his life than he did now. "What the hell, Brandon!?" he exclaimed, his blue eyes dark in anger.

Brandon held up his hands defensively. "Will you calm down? You haven't even read the text I sent, and already you're about to strangle me. I'm just trying to help."

"How is this _helping_, Brandon?" Sky hissed. "Don't you think she's going to be a little put off that I wanted to tell her goodnight when she's tried to avoid talking to me as much as possible?" Brandon frowned slightly at that statement, and the look on his face gave Sky pause. It was like the brunette boy had forgotten something. He opened his mouth to get it out of Brandon when his phone went off. He looked down at it warily (and surprised) to see it was a text response from Bloom. He slid the little green box across the block that had popped up on his lock screen and read the green bubble of text first.

"_Hey Red this is Bran. Sky is sulking cuz he wants to tell you goodnight but he thinks you don't want him to and he won't listen to me. I'm risking my life sending this btw."_

Sky sent his best friend a glare. "Real mature, Brandon," he muttered, to which the brunette grinned.

"What can I say? I have a way of getting to the point. Now what did _she _say?" he asked eagerly.

Sky prepared himself for the worst as he looked back at the message and read the gray bubble. _"Bran, somehow I think you'll live through it. But why didn't you just send this from your phone? Sky, don't kill him. I get why he sent it. And I don't mind if you tell me goodnight. Just don't make it awkward."_

Brandon—who had moved so he could see the text, too—laughed and clapped his friend on the back. "See, it's fine. 'Just don't make it awkward,'" he parroted.

"What does that even _mean_?" Sky asked, furrowing his brows as he looked at the brunette.

Brandon sighed and shook his head. "It's not that difficult to understand, Sky. She's basically saying you need to leave it simplistic. Say something a friend would say. Like... 'Goodnight, Bloom. See you in the morning.' You _might _be able to get away with a 'sleep well,' but don't even attempt to say 'sweet dreams' or anything akin to that. That is rather flirty, and therefore awkward." Brandon paused before he added, "And _do not_ use emotes, dude. When it comes to texts like this between friends, only girls are allowed to use emotes."

"Brandon, I don't even _use_ emotes," Sky muttered as he started to type out a response.

"Don't send it until you tell me what you typed," Brandon warned, causing the blonde to roll his eyes.

"Whatever," he sighed, and a moment later he looked at his friend. "Okay, I'm saying, 'Goodnight, Bloom. I hope you sleep well. I'll see you in the morning.' Is that acceptable?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Brandon ignored the sarcasm. "The second sentence is a little awkward-sounding, but go ahead and send it," the brunette answered.

Sky shook his head as he returned back to his bed and slid back under the covers. "This is stupid," he muttered, more-so to himself.

"Last I checked, she's not the one who has a boyfriend," Brandon commented, causing Sky to grit his teeth. Why did everyone have to keep throwing Diaspro in his face? Jeez, he couldn't get his mind off that situation for more than a few minutes, and none of his friends were really making it _easy_ for him to tell them about what had happened.

His phone chimed again, and he slid the green box over again so he could read it. _"Goodnight, Blondie. Sweet dreams." _Sky felt his heart thump hard against his chest, and he tried to ignore the burst of warmth that spread through him at such simple words. There was absolutely nothing to get excited about over four words like that, but he couldn't help himself as he smiled. His phone vibrated as another grey bubble popped up, and he almost laughed at what he read. _"And for future reference, just leave it at 'I hope you sleep well.' It has more of an effect."_

Feeling absurdly happy, Sky pressed the lock button on the top of his phone before setting it on the nightstand. He closed his eyes and settled down comfortably against the pillows, managing to ignore the brunette who was apparently having issues getting comfortable. After the bed had shifted a couple of times—and Brandon still hadn't found a comfortable position—the brunette angled his head to look at Sky. "Sorry, dude. I can't get comfortable," he apologized.

Sky lifted his head slightly to look at his best friend before laying it back down on the pillow. "It's fine," he mumbled, his eyes slipping closed. "Just... don't stroke my arm."

Brandon tried his best not to laugh, but that had to be one of the more ridiculous things Sky had ever said. "Dude, do you even know what you just said?" he asked after he managed to calm down.

Sky looked irritated as he glared with his one open eye. "No, I don't. I'm tired."

"You said..." Brandon started laughing slightly, and he cleared his throat to compose himself. "You said, 'Just don't stroke my arm.' What... what the hell does that mean?"

Sky honestly didn't know, and Brandon's laughter was somewhat infectious now that he knew what his reply had been. "I don't... I don't know," he replied sincerely, and that only set them off into more laughter.

If there was one thing Brandon and Sky could say about their friendship, it was that they hardly ever had a dull moment. **(13)**

* * *

**(1) **This idea came around because of Sarah. I had no idea what I wanted to do for Flo and Helia, and she started laughing and told me she'd always imagined Helia doing the warrior pose. And it just developed from there. ;)

**(2) ** Sarah and I both agree that we don't see Tecna and Timmy being really intimate with each other, even in private. So I came up with the awkward scene of him trying to hold her just to do it, and Tecna being like, "Okay... I like this a little but not enough to keep my mouth shut." I just don't see Timmy being confident enough to pull off that sort of thing properly. Maybe later, but I doubt it. Sorry. [/shrugs]

**(3) **This part was one of the ones that gave me the most trouble. I really did not enjoy writing their scene. Blame my newfound adoration of Bloomdon shipping. [/sigh] But I'll prevail. I'll get back into the swing of Stellandon. Hopefully. [/cowers]

**(4) **I don't want to hear any bitching about this Rusa-ish part. Just be happy it's in here. I don't see Musa and Riven rushing into a relationship (considering they never did in the show) so I'm taking things slow. Riven's still a little flighty when it comes to dealing with his reaction to her. Deal with it. It's in character.

**(5) **Sarah and I both died while watching Season 5. Musa seriously bugs out over those singing whales. Hence, Musa likes whales. Just wanted to clarify where that came from. :)

**(6) **So this is a matter of personal preference, actually; I seriously think that "Fantasmic" is the best nighttime event Disney has to offer (if we don't include marathons they host). So... yeah~ That's why they're going to Hollywood Studios. :D

**(7) **The SUV I found for this is not one that we have in the States, but just go with it. xD If you want a visual, do a Google search for "2013 SsangYong Stavic" and you should find some article about it. [/nodnod]

**(8) **I noticed around this time that Sky wasn't acting normal, and so it gets a little out of hand when Bloom confronts him about it. I'm basing this off the mood swings my mother had when she went through a divorce with my father because he cheated on her. So his mood swings are not entirely bogus; it's a normal response, from what I've heard about others.

**(9) **This was _supposed _to be a short discussion, but then it got out of hand. So, if you know which _LotR _and _The Hobbit_ characters are being referred to, kudos to you! Even more kudos if you know Gavroche from _Les Mis_! :D [/showers you with love and candy]

**(10)** This is dating back to 4kids era when they let the members have "chats" with the "Winx girls." Someone asked Musa and Riven what their favorite foods were, and they both answered "Mexican" because they liked spicy foods. Ergo, we have tacos.

**(11) **And thus we have our title. I couldn't come up with anything I liked, so... PMD it was.

**(12) **I'm still debating on if this statement was true or not. Brandon says lots of things just to mess with Sky, so... it could just be him saying it. Then again, maybe Stella would tell him if he asked. I leave that one to your interpretation.

**(13) **This is a true occurrence. Brandon just replaced Sarah's name while Sky replaced mine. I just thought it'd be a nice ending, and Sarah agreed that we should have it happen to two of the guys in the story. :D

Well, that's it for now! Next chapter will be them at Sea World. I'm looking forward to it but not at the same time. Sky will _finally _get the Diaspro thing off his chest, though. :)

Btw, if you're curious, the seating order is as follows: Front- Riven, Sky; First Row of Three: Bloom, Savannah, Musa; Second Row of Three: Tecna, Flora, Stella; Third Row of Three: Timmy, Helia, Brandon. (So the three established couples are sitting in front of or behind their respective partner.

Onto reviews! :D

**darkredheart**, thanks for the review. I hope this update was quick enough for ya. Sorry for the slight delay. (And I've addressed this once, but I will get to Rusa when I can; they don't do anything right now, so I can't write them.)

**Semie, **I've updated! xD I'm glad you're enjoying the story~ That's all I can ask. :)

**Moreanswers24**, I answered you once before, but thank you again for the review! I hope this chapter works for you!

**Musa1992, **thank you for being diligent and reviewing both the chapters I posted. In regards to chapter 10, I had already had one posted that you reviewed on, so it wouldn't let you review it again. FF is weird that way... As you already know, Sarah adored the shout-out you gave her. You made her day. :D (And I understand; anime is addicting.) As for chapter 11, I'm glad you think I kept Diaspro in character. I've tried, given the constraints of the character they show us. I just don't see her really liking Sky for the right reasons. ^^; Anyway! Here's a nice long chapter for ya, m'dear!

**HappyHappy102**, well hi! I hope this was a quick enough update for you since you've just recently reviewed (but it'll be a couple weeks between each update, I'd wager). I'm glad you're liking it, though!

Since I forgot to address this earlier (and I'm too lazy to go back up) - I'm going to try to focus on the guys forming friendships when I get the opportunity. I feel bad because they're not being focused on at all, so... yeah. Here's to hoping it'll go well! [/crosses fingers]

As always, I'd love it if you guys reviewed, but it's not necessary~ 'Til next time!

_**The Dynamic Duo~ ;)**_

P.S. - Yes, I changed it again. The other "signature" was annoying me... ^^;


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